Media Diary: ABC plans budget cuts but splits a key job into two
The ABC recently revealed job losses were coming — except in one corner of the organisation.
ABC managing director David Anderson confirmed his worst kept secret at Senate estimates last week: Aunty will have to cut jobs just to meet its budget.
But in one part of the ABC, job numbers are actually growing. Diary is reliably informed the old role of head of public affairs, held until recently by Emma McDonald (now Communication Minister Paul Fletcher’s senior adviser) has now been split into two separate roles.
When she was at the ABC, McDonald ran both its communications and government affairs functions.
But that won’t happen any more, with one job becoming two.
Aunty has already advertised for a head of communications, asking for someone who can help to ensure that “the ABC’s corporate image remains strong and cohesive both internally and externally”.
Hmmm — challenging. Applications for that role close Monday night.
But there’s also a second full-time job cut out of McDonald’s old role. Diary hears the ABC will shortly advertise for a head of government affairs to focus on managing the public broadcaster’s tricky relationship with ScoMo’s government.
However, splitting one role into two will be costly for Aunty.
We hear that separate communications and government affairs jobs will leave the ABC having to dig much deeper into its pockets than it did when the versatile McDonald ran both roles. And that means one thing: David Anderson will have to find more job cuts elsewhere.
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