It’s been a long year for the ABC, with the public broadcaster navigating legal defeats, a string of editorial controversies and 67 corrections on the record.
Yet amid the scrutiny, news director Justin Stevens received a $110,000 pay increase, taking his total package to $667,900 – as the ABC board moved to head off any further talent or leadership risk.
The decision has prompted fresh questions around financial stewardship at a broadcaster still seeking additional support for its $1.3 billion taxpayer-funded budget, even as Senate Estimates pressure continues to sharpen over transparency and editorial performance.
Numbers hiccups
The ABC’s 2025 annual report logged slippage across key performance measures, with community satisfaction easing from 81% to 79% and national weekly reach dipping from 61.9% to 60.4%.
Radio and digital also softened: Local Radio’s weekly reach dropped 8.4%, and the ABC News app recorded audience declines.
Editorial standards came under further pressure, with corrections and clarifications rising to 67 in 2024–25, up from 62 the year prior.
While total complaints were down, the average response time lengthened from 11 days to 16.
Strong showings
The broadcaster has been the No.1 Australian digital news brand every month since December 2024, reaching 12.8 million Australians in September (Ipsos iris).
On TV, ABC NEWS Channel remains the top multi-channel nationwide, now outperforming SBS’s main channel, while evening current affairs continues to cut through with ABC 7pm News up 7% year-to-date and 7.30 climbing 13%.
In audio, ABC News Top Stories is the No.1 news podcast and No.2 overall, attracting 767,000 listeners in the latest Triton ranker.
Editorial complaints are also down 26% this financial year, sitting below the five-year average.
Legal pressures
The broadcaster faced a costly legal defeat earlier this year when journalist Antoinette Lattouf won her unfair dismissal case, resulting in ABC paying more than $150,000 in compensation.
Amid the controversies, ABC managing director Hugh Marks defended the organisation’s integrity, saying the broadcaster’s team present at the hearing was more than capable of addressing the committee’s questions.