ABC’s $50m move angers staff

The ABC will spend almost $50m in funding on its move to Parramatta, but staff are speaking out, saying management is taking a ‘dictator-like’ approach to the move.

The ABC building in Ultimo, Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

The ABC has acknowledged its controversial relocation to Sydney’s west will cost almost $50m, a move likely to cause further consternation among staff about potential cuts to programming.

Last year the public broadcaster announced it would be relocating almost 300 television, radio and news staff to a Parramatta location as part of a five-year plan to have 75 per cent of “content makers” working outside of the Ultimo office by 2025.

According to documents tabled to a parliamentary committee, funding for the project will come from the existing ABC budget. However, the revelation raises questions as to what impact the move – and reduction in budget – will have on ABC programming and staff salaries.

The ABC has reneged on its plan to move Radio National to the new office, with sources saying veteran staff “heavyweights” were able to convince management to reverse the decision.

Documents reveal the ABC intends to lease out about 7900sq m of its Ultimo office once renovations are complete while leasing 3106sq m in the new Parramatta building.

The agreement allows a presence on the ground floor of the Parramatta building “providing a publicly visible space for the ABC to engage with the local community”.

The broadcaster says the cost of the move is supported by the sale of ageing assets and the leasing of office space, which in 2020 reportedly had the potential to bring in $4m a year.

A heads of agreement the ABC signed earlier secures a 15-year lease for the ABC, with two five-year options for extension.

According to the submission to the federal parliamentary standing committee on public works, the total cost for the move is estimated to be $43.6m, excluding GST.

A growing number of staff are becoming critical of the ABC’s handling of the move, with several telling The Australian they are considering resigning, claiming management is taking a “dictator-like” approach.

“We’ve learned more from (what has been published in) other publications about the move, before we were given a formal update,” one employee said.

“For months we’ve had no idea what is going on, there’s been no proper consultation,” another insider said.

The ABC in its submissions says it will continue to consult with affected staff.

With many ABC staff living in inner Sydney, concerns have been raised about the move’s hidden costs, with some questioning the increased cost of public transport to the new location.

“With inflation it’s going to cost people more money to work in Parramatta,” one said. “We have the CBD for a reason.”

“It’s not about moving to Parramatta, it’s about moving from a location that’s far from the CBD,” another said.

“It seems like a way to butter up the former government by decentralisation, when in fact the ABC is already one of the most decentralised media companies in Australia,” a senior journalist at the broadcaster said.

Staffers are also up in arms over the fact the broadcaster opened a new Western Sydney newsroom in 2020.

“They have a western Sydney office, so why does the whole ABC (have to) move?”

The ABC did not respond to requests for comment.