Abc dumps diversity groups amid bias scrutiny
Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC, has severed ties with three prominent diversity and inclusion organizations—Acon Health’s Pride in Diversity program, the Australian Disability Network, and the Diversity Council of Australia—following sustained pressure regarding potential conflicts of interest and a perceived erosion of editorial independence. The move, announced internally on Tuesday, signals a significant shift under the leadership of Managing Director Hugh Marks, who assumed the role in March 2025.
A long road to reassessment
The decision arrives after years of internal debate and rigorous questioning during senate estimates hearings concerning the ABC’s membership fees. The broadcaster’s participation in these groups, particularly Acon, raised eyebrows given that the organizations then assessed and ranked the ABC based on its diversity and inclusion scores—a system critics deemed inherently problematic. The internal memo to staff stated the partnerships “no longer providing sufficient value” to the organization, prompting a broader review of existing partnerships and sponsorships intended to “ensure our standards of independence are maintained.”
The ABC maintains it is “meeting its obligations of editorial independence and impartiality,” and will redirect funding towards internal initiatives. However, the spokesperson declined to address whether Marks believed the previous partnership model had fostered a perception of bias—an accusation that has dogged the ABC for some time.
Acon, in a statement, asserted that its services are offered to any organization interested in fostering more inclusive workplaces, emphasizing that it “does not seek to, nor do we have, any influence over the way media outlets…report issues.” The annual cost to the ABC for Acon’s services was reportedly at least $12,000.
The seeds of doubt: media watch and beyond
The controversy initially surfaced in October 2022 when the ABC’s own Media Watch program highlighted potential conflicts of interest. The situation escalated when Marks’ predecessor, David Anderson, accepted a gold award from Acon’s Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), a scheme where the ABC accumulated points for editorial content such as the children's series First Day and the podcast Innies and Outies. Documents obtained through freedom of information requests revealed instances where Acon relationship managers offered editorial tips to ABC journalists to bolster the broadcaster’s rankings, and even a case of an ABC journalist seeking guidance on terminology—a scenario likened by Media Watch host Paul Barry to Greenpeace advising the ABC on fossil fuel reporting.
Recent criticism of the ABC's coverage of sensitive gender issues, notably concerning the closure of the Tavistock gender clinic and the Keira Bell case, further fueled the perception of potential bias. Former ABC chair Ita Buttrose had previously acknowledged “serious editorial lapses” in a series on transgender women in sport. The Acon partnership consequently became a persistent point of contention during senate estimates hearings.
Marks’ decision to formally exit the AWEI scheme is a strategic move, effectively eliminating a significant source of political friction and allowing the ABC to assert the independence of its editorial decisions. The move mirrors a similar decision by the BBC in 2021, which withdrew from Stonewall’s diversity program to safeguard its reputation for neutrality. With these partnerships now dissolved, the ABC faces the challenge of demonstrating its commitment to diversity and inclusion through internal means, proving that its values are not contingent on external validation.