The ABC’s managing director has said it is “extraordinary” that Coalition members have criticised Four Corners for its investigation into parliament’s “toxic” workplace culture before the program airs on Monday night.
Appearing at Senate estimates ahead of the broadcast, David Anderson revealed details of government pressure regarding the program, including Coalition staff calling and emailing senior ABC staff questioning whether the episode was in the public interest.
Anderson backed the reporting and explained the public interest related to the exploration of “the ethical standards of ministers of the crown”. The ABC boss revealed the program related to allegations of “power imbalance and a potential abuse of power” between unnamed ministers and staff.
“To critique a story that is not published yet is quite extraordinary,” he said.
Earlier, the executive producer of Four Corners, Sally Neighbour, said “extreme and unrelenting” political pressure has been applied on the ABC before Monday night’s screening of an investigation into the after-hours behaviour of federal parliamentarians.
Neighbour took to social media on Monday to make the strong-arming allegation, backed by Louise Milligan, the lead reporter on the story, who said pressure had been “applied by multiple representatives of government to ABC management”.
Neighbour said: “All credit to the ABC’s leadership for withstanding it.”
Guardian Australia understands there has been significant internal debate within the national broadcaster about the program.
Anderson told Senate estimates the program was originally an investigation into “women in the pandemic”, but efforts were redirected after women in parliament came forward to speak about the “toxic culture” and “women problem” in politics.
Anderson was grilled by the Liberal senator Amanda Stoker about why the program focused on Liberals.
He said Four Corners had investigated issues across the board, “including the Liberal party”, but it was the focus of the program because government members were subject to the ministerial code of conduct and “nobody was coming forward about anyone else”.
Stoker complained that the program didn’t sound like an investigation into the “culture of the building” but rather “like a sting with targets in one party – the Liberal party”.
The program features one complainant on camera, a senator, and the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who imposed a ban on sexual relationships between ministers and staff after the former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce formed a relationship with one of his staff, ending his marriage of 24 years.
Anderson revealed lobbying from government staffers, with phone calls and emails copying in senior ABC staff, including himself, Neighbour, the ABC news director, Gavin Morris, and reporter Lucy Carter.
“I didn’t see any direct threat in there,” Anderson said, although staff had warned the ABC to retain documentation relating to the program.
The ABC chair, Ita Buttrose, also phoned Anderson to alert him to a ministerial staffer contacting a board member about the story.
Anderson warned that “any contact” with the ABC outside responding to its direct questions “starts to present problems” – because it could raise the perception that material was not published due to interference.
Anderson backed the investigation, which he described as “absolutely rock solid”, and confirmed Buttrose had seen it and supported the decision to broadcast it.
Earlier on Monday, Scott Morrison told reporters he expected the ABC to adhere to its charter and act in an unbiased way.
Asked whether the government had applied pressure to its managing director or its news director, the prime minister said: “The only thing I’m aware of is that the government always stands up for ensuring that the ABC would act consistent with its charter and I would think all Australians would expect the ABC to act consistent with its charter.”
Morrison said the government’s expectation was the ABC would “act in an independent and unbiased a-partisan way”.
“If they are going to make inquiries, I would think they would want to do them across the political spectrum,” he said. “It’s always important that the ABC remains true to their charter and I would expect them to do that.”
Asked on Monday morning whether he supported the “bonk ban”, Morrison said the rules were important “to ensure you have the right sort of workplace”.
“I more than supported it, I ensured that it continued,” he said. “When the former prime minister introduced it, I was one of its strongest supporters and why it’s there, I think, is to protect a culture in the parliament. And it’s not just any one side of politics, can I tell you – it’s important as a cultural change within the parliament.
“I note the Labor party has mocked the ban and hasn’t supported it. It wasn’t supported by the former leader of the opposition and it is not supported by the current leader of the opposition.
“Our standards that we’ve set as a government are very clear.”
Morrison said he had not seen Monday night’s program and could not comment on what he had not yet seen, “but that [bonk ban] arrangement was put in place on a prospective basis by the former prime minister and I have continued it”.
