“Listen loudly, Act strongly” is the title of the ABC’s newly released independent review into how it supports staff who experience racism, whether internally or from external sources. The report quickly ushered in high volume commentary from other media outlets, who called it variously “bombshell’”, “damning”, “watershed moment’”.

These responses were compounded by the trolling of star ABC Indigenous presenter Tony Armstrong after he was criticised in the same week for taking paid advertising work without the ABC’s clearance. Armstrong’s “crime” faded from view, while the abuse he received in the wake of its disclosure remains as tangible evidence of the on-going problem facing ABC staff.

The review was commissioned from Dr Terri Janke, Indigenous lawyer and legal scholar, who has undertaken studies for the arts and museum sector. The ABC report makes a powerful case for systemic racism within the Corporation, its force deriving in large part from the words of staff that it listened to. The review heard from 120 current and former ABC staff, mostly women, mostly aged early 20s to 40s, of whom approximately two-thirds were “culturally and linguistically diverse” (CALD), and one third Indigenous – the report is clear-eyed about the combination of factors that increase disadvantage. It quotes individuals’ vivid experiences of racism at the ABC, from professional undermining to personal putdowns, as well as attacks from external sources. Furthermore, it highlights the need for lived experience in shaping content for all audiences, given the ABC’s charter obligation to contribute to a sense of national identity and to reflect cultural diversity in Australia.

The review makes a series of fifteen recommendations, from the complaints process to voice coaching. The ABC committed to act on all of these, with the dual intention to stop racist behaviour internally and to better support staff experiencing racism externally; Managing Director David Anderson made a public apology as the report was released, and the report itself is publicly available online. The ABC’s commitment “to do better” has drawn mixed reactions– the online news site Crikey reported the views of five staff pessimistic about the future, while Melbourne University academic Denis Muller questions the ABC’s strength of character to follow through; ABC Bonner Committee Chair Dan Bouchier thanked ABC management for their courage in launching it, calling it “a line in the sand” for the future.

The complexity of the issues is evident throughout the report as it negotiates respect for the agency of those who have experienced racism with the design of effective processes to change culture in a large organisation. A closing section compares how public broadcasters round the world are grappling with similar issues. It underscores the pervasiveness of racism but also the greater accountability of public broadcasters, such as the ABC, to act transparently in the interests of the public as a whole, in contrast to commercial media.

Read the report