Senate Estimates: ABC boss David Anderson to face grilling over redundancies

It’s one of the tough questions ABC boss David Anderson will have to answer at Senate Estimates ahead of 200 redundancies.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson pictured in his Sydney office. Picture: Nikki Short

ABC managing director David Anderson will face a grilling about the organisation’s upcoming 200 redundancies, in his highly-anticipated appearance before Senate Estimates on Tuesday afternoon.

Diary is reliably informed that one likely senators’ question is: will the ABC’s redundancies be forced or voluntary?

It’s a crucial distinction. Unions at the ABC have lobbied hard to ensure that the cuts are voluntary because, under that scenario, it would be more than likely that Aunty would be overwhelmed with applications by union members. Whatever form they take, the cuts will extend across all parts of the ABC, from news and current affairs to general entertainment, sport and administrative functions.

Anderson and his rock-star chair, Ita Buttrose, want to be popular with staff. But will the ABC’s beancounters be willing to give up the strategic advantage of picking and choosing where the cuts come from to find the many millions they need to meet budget?

Ita is still hoping it doesn’t come to that, after her high-profile tete-a-tete with Scott Morrison we revealed last month, where she hit up the PM for dough.

Ironically, one high-profile redundancy very close to Anderson has already happened. Diary can reveal that ABC government affairs boss Kevin McAlinden, the very man who wrote briefing notes for Anderson’s Tuesday Senate Estimates appearance, has taken his own redundancy package.

McAlinden was sending messages to colleagues last week telling them his position had indeed been made “redundant”, with his departure to apply from March 7. However, we understand he had already physically left the building by week’s end.

But McAlinden’s redundancy will not be one of Anderson’s 200. Diary hears McAlinden’s email wryly told colleagues his role was being restructured into not one, but two roles. So much for cuts.

Read Nick Tabakoff’s full Media Diary on Monday, in the paper and online.