ABC’s boss vows to make ‘relevant changes’ to reach ‘a higher standard’ after admitting Rinehart skit ‘wrong’

The ABC’s managing director has vowed to make “relevant changes” after admitting the airing of a skit involving a sexualised attack on Australian businesswoman Gina Rinehart was “wrong” and he wanted the broadcaster to reach a “higher standard”.

Anticipation is growing of further upheaval at the ABC after the public broadcaster finally apologised to Mrs Rinehart on Thursday and its high-profile investigations boss departed following a growing scandal at the Four Corners program.

Facing legal threats from Hancock Prospecting, ABC chief Hugh Marks apologised to Mrs Rinehart — 25 days after airing the controversial remarks by contestant Kate McGuinness on the “Race Around the World” program.

Mr Marks said the depiction of Mrs Rinehart in the short film titled “A Very Relaxing Video” which aired during the July 12 episode was “not fair” and fell short of “community expectations”.

McGuinness’ remarks included joking about assaulting the mining billionaire with a stick to mix her “guts” into a “big sausage roll”.

However, the ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron found it did not breach editorial standards related to harm and offence, insisting it was “satirical and exaggerated commentary”.

The incident has raised internal questions about the consistency of editorial standards — given Mr Marks appeared to go further than Ms Cameron by claiming the piece she cleared failed to meet “community expectations”.

Gavin Fang — who is the Editorial Director at the ABC — is responsible for setting, interpreting, and enforcing the editorial policies and standards that the ABC Ombudsman evaluates.

Mr Marks has since vowed to review whether guidance in the ABC’s editorial policies “adequately reflects current community expectations”.

“I think the ABC has to hold itself to a higher standard. I think it’s really important we make that change,” he said.

“It’s also important that we acknowledge we got this wrong, that we issue the apology, and we make the relevant changes so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has slammed the “ridiculous” time it took the ABC to apologise and called for the broadcaster to make changes “in the back room” to make sure “the editors don’t allow this to happen again”.

“It was appalling. It should never have been put to air,” she told News24.

“I hope something’s been done in the back room to make sure the editors don’t allow this to happen again because that was a political hit job, not a gendered one.”

High-profile ABC reporters have taken to social media to pay tribute to their departing head of investigations and current affairs boss Jo Puccini — praising her 25 years working at the taxpayer-funded organisation.

Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan, who had her personal legal costs of almost $200,000 paid for by the ABC after she was sued by Liberal MP Andrew Laming for a series of 2021 tweets, was among those lauding Puccini.

“(She) leaves the ABC after an impressive 25 years in the trenches doing tough public interest journalism… stories that have shaped and changed the nation,” Milligan wrote online.

Fellow Four Corners reporter Steve Cannane lamented “such sad news that Jo Puccini is leaving the ABC. Jo is one of the best people I have worked with”.

“So many of us have benefited from her leadership, ideas, courage, compassion, creativity and support”.

“Jo always put the audience and the public interest first and fiercely backed her journalists. We will miss her,” Cannane wrote on X.

Investigations project lead Flip Prior said Puccini had an “enormous impact” as an “exceptional” and “patient mentor” whose departure announcement caused a newsroom scene where “some of Australia’s toughest journalists openly cried”.

“Despite having the most unbelievably tough and insanely busy job in journalism, she has always been there to pick me up. She has been a steady ship for so many of us through incredibly challenging times over the past few years,” she wrote on LinkedIn.

“We are going to miss her a lot and her absence is already felt.”

Puccini’s exit comes more than two months after ABC’s director of news Justin Stevens announced his resignation in late May.

Stevens said “for reasons both professional and personal” he believed it was “the right time” to move on after 19 years with the organisation.

Puccini declined to comment.