ABC Faces Union Challenge Over Journalist Opinion Article

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is facing a dispute with its journalists’ union after climate reporter Michael Slezak was called into a meeting over an opinion article, with ABC news leaders raising possible breaches of external work rules and the union opposing any disciplinary action.

Slezak, who is the federal president of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and an ABC house committee leader, wrote the article for The Australian Financial Review about proposed Australian Securities and Investments Commission changes affecting public access to company director information.

According to the union, ABC Director of News Simon Robinson and digital and national news chief Lee Glendinning discussed whether Slezak breached the broadcaster’s external work policy and code of conduct. The union said management did not rule out disciplinary action, including dismissal.

MEAA said Slezak was acting in his union capacity when writing about journalists’ access to information. "Championing our right to information is something we expect Michael to do and be allowed to do without hindrance," said the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

The union said Slezak had a written agreement with ABC that allowed him to make public comments on behalf of journalists as part of his role with MEAA. The broadcaster said its external work and public comment guidelines protect its reputation.

"The guidelines for external work and public comment are important and protect the reputation of the ABC," said an ABC spokesperson.

The opinion article addressed proposed ASIC restrictions on access to personal details of company directors. In the article, Slezak described the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ position as using the Bondi terror attack as a "shield" to support changes it had previously pursued regarding access to director information.

The union organized a response from members and said an open letter seeking assurances from ABC leadership had received 197 signatures according to MEAA and 165 signatures according to reports from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Members were scheduled to discuss a collective response on Tuesday.

The ABC house committee said the dispute involved journalists’ ability to advocate through their union. "The ABC cannot publicly champion press freedom while privately targeting a national union representative for doing the same thing," said the ABC house committee.

The committee also questioned the broader impact of the dispute on staff representatives. "What message does targeting the highest profile ABC union member, by the biggest media organisation in the country, send to union members, delegates and journalists across newsrooms across the country?" said the ABC house committee.

The committee continued that elected representatives needed space to advocate for members. "Our union representatives are elected to advocate for us. They cannot do their jobs if they are only permitted to say things with which their employers agree. The ABC’s targeting of Michael is an attack on press freedom and an attack on our freedom of association," said the ABC house committee.

Robinson joined ABC after leaving Reuters and became director of news following Justin Stevens’ departure in May. The dispute comes after a tense period between ABC management and unionized staff during enterprise agreement negotiations, which included a 24-hour strike before an agreement was reached in March.