ABC and Political Interference

[K]

'First came from her': Ex-ABC chair says sacking Alberici was Guthrie's idea

https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/first-came-from-her-ex-abc-chair-says-sacking-alberici-was-guthrie-s-idea-20181112-p50fjs.html


'Emails shown on the program showed Ms Guthrie emailing Mr Milne saying communications minister Mitch Fifield “is out to use anything to discredit us. Partic (sic) Emma”.

Ms Guthrie said six complaints from Mr Fifield in five months was “unprecedented”.

In another email, Mr Milne asked her what they were doing with Alberici, and mentioned “external development opportunities”. He said this was a “silly corporate euphemism for firing her”, while Ms Guthrie said there was “never a conversation about firing Emma”.

Ms Guthrie said this was "having a conversation with her about her career ... these conversations were run by Gaven and her news team".

She further said there was "never a conversation about firing Emma" though there was discussion about whether Alberici might "choose" to leave the organisation.

Mr Morris said what was "very important to me is that Emma's still doing her job".'

[K]

Justin Milne denies he 'inappropriately touched' Michelle Guthrie at ABC board dinner

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/justin-milne-denies-he-inappropriately-touched-michelle-guthrie-at-abc-board-dinner-20181112-p50fm5.html

'Ms Guthrie disclosed the allegation to ABC board director Donny Walford in August this year, after she was warned by Mr Milne at a face-to-face meeting that "her job was on the line".
...

She reportedly complained Mr Milne rubbed her back during a dinner at Billy Kwong restaurant in Sydney's Potts Point last year...

Ms Guthrie said she did not raise the allegation earlier because she wanted to "get on with the job".

She also told the program that the alleged incident did not affect her professional relationship with Mr Milne, but it "was certainly in my mind in social settings".

After being informed about Ms Guthrie's allegations by Ms Walford, the ABC board organised for one of their own - Joseph Gersh - to meet Ms Guthrie and determine whether she would make a formal complaint. She declined.

Ms Guthrie told Four Corners the purpose of the meeting was to encourage her to resign, rather than examine her allegation.
...

On September 23 - the same day the board resolved to sack Ms Guthrie - it also decided to appoint an external investigator to examine Ms Guthrie's claims against Mr Milne.

The ABC has since told Senate estimates that the investigation by barrister Jonathan Forbes will not be made public.'

[K]

[Aside: I'd love to dine at Billy Kwong's at the taxpayers' expense. Is it too late to apply to be Mr. Milne's or Ms. Guthrie's replacement?]

Video of the 4 Corners episode is here:
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/four-corners

Broadcast 8:30pm Mon 12 Nov 2018. ... available until 9:18pm on 12 Dec 2018.

[Culprit]

Michelle Guthrie given $800,000 payout after being terminated as ABC managing director

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-26/michelle-guthrie-given-$800000-payout-after-being-terminated-abc/10555670

[stui magpie]

$800k and she still wants more.

Most executive contracts would have a 3 or 6 month payout arrangement, they're also usually fixed term contracts.

She was earning just shy of $1m per year so getting that amount without a deed of release suggests to me they paid out the remainder of her contract rather than just a notice period.

Suing for more won't do her future career prospects any good, unless she figures she has none now so plans to claw out as much cash as she can and retire to hubby's restaurant in Singapore

[K]

'Ms Guthrie, who was halfway through her five-year contract when she was terminated, received an annual salary of about $900,000 a year. Last financial year she received a $70,000 pay rise, taking her salary to $943,000.

The payout is worth a little more than 10 months of that salary. An ABC spokeswoman told Fairfax Media: "A termination payout was made to Ms Guthrie in line with her contractual entitlements."
...

Matt Peacock, a former staff-elected board director and now director of ABC Alumni, said the payout was part of the "obscene" payments given to executives, including in commercial media.'

https://www.theage.com.au/national/sacked-abc-boss-michelle-guthrie-received-800-000-termination-payment-20181126-p50ihd.html

[Tannin]

[K]

^ Taxpayers' class action?

[Tannin]

^ Actually, if you subscribe to the conspiracy theory that Turnbull hired her specifically to do as much damage to the hated-by-him ABC as possible, she was brilliant and deserved a whopping bonus.

[ronrat]

Considering the damage she has done to the Australia channel in asia-pacific they should have given herr 80 cents to ring someone who gives a ****.

[K]

Sacked ABC boss Michelle Guthrie rated as 'arrogant' and 'in bottom 4 per cent for integrity'

https://www.theage.com.au/national/sacked-abc-boss-michelle-guthrie-rated-as-arrogant-and-in-bottom-4-per-cent-for-integrity-20181129-p50j9x.html

"... Michelle Guthrie was rated so poorly by her senior colleagues and board directors that she ranked in the bottom 4 per cent of chief executives for integrity.

She was also judged to be "arrogant", "autocratic" and "distant" in a performance review that concerned the board so much they arranged for board director Donny Walford to intervene.
...

The board held an in camera meeting in June at which it asked Ms Walford - a businesswoman and human resources consultant - to "coach" Ms Guthrie in the areas of concern."

[K]

"10:58am

We've got a bit of a situation here during the morning tea break, it seems.

Michelle Guthrie does not want to see Justin Milne and senators had arranged that they would not cross paths during the inquiry.

But Mr Milne is sitting up the back of the room waiting to hear Ms Guthrie's evidence.

Committee officials just went over to Mr Milne and told him that they will help escort him from the building whenever he wants to leave."

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/abc-political-interference-michelle-guthrie-and-justin-milne-appear-before-senate-committee-20181130-p50jb4.html

[K]

'It had reached a crisis point': ABC board directors explain why they fired Michelle Guthrie

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/it-had-reached-a-crisis-point-abc-board-directors-explain-why-they-fired-michelle-guthrie-20181130-p50jgm.html

"Board director Donny Walford, to whom Ms Guthrie shared her grievances about Mr Milne's conduct, told senators: "The board, in total, had lost confidence and trust in her leadership."

Directors pointed to extraordinary results from Ms Guthrie's performance review which put her in the bottom 4 per cent of chief executives globally for "integrity", and in the top 10 per cent for "arrogance", "autocracy" and "distance".
...

Staff-elected director Jane Connors said she was "appalled" by the infamous email Mr Milne sent to Ms Guthrie urging her to "get rid of" chief economics correspondent Emma Alberici, describing it as "very, very inappropriate".

But she queried why Ms Guthrie kept the email secret from the board for months, only to "bring it out at the very last moment" when the board was about to sack her.
...

Ms Guthrie said she made notes of the exchange, but up to a week after it occurred. Mr Milne denied he said any such thing about Probyn, and accused Ms Guthrie of fabricating evidence.

"I did not say that," he said. "That’s a script that she’s written. That conversation was an argument about funding.""

[K]

Michelle Guthrie files lawsuit against ABC for unfair dismissal

https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/michelle-guthrie-files-lawsuit-against-abc-for-unfair-dismissal-20181227-p50odu.html

"Sacked ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie has filed a lawsuit against the public broadcaster for unfair dismissal and specifically named ex-chairman Justin Milne and directors Donny Walford, Joseph Gersh and Vanessa Guthrie.

The legal action, filed on December 20 in the Federal Court of Australia’s Western Australia Registry, does not specify board members Kirstin Ferguson (current acting chair), former Seven executive Peter Lewis, Georgie Somerset or staff elected director Jane Connors.

Ms Guthrie filed a Fair Work claim in mid-October. Typically, the Fair Work Commission organises a private mediation conference to deal with the issue. If the dispute is not resolved, an application can then be made to the Federal Court.
...

An ABC spokeswoman said in a statement that the proceedings allege Ms Guthrie was subject to adverse action "because, amongst other things, she had made complaints".

"This is not correct. Ms Guthrie was dismissed because the board had lost confidence in her. She was not dismissed because of any complaints she’d made," the spokeswoman said.

"Ms Guthrie also alleges she could not be dismissed during her term. The corporation disputes this is the case. Ms Guthrie's termination was lawful," she said."

[K]