ABC's Sarah Ferguson 'sold' in funding pitch for husband's film

Veteran reporter Sarah Ferguson and host of the ABC's 7:30 is at the centre of a storm involving funding for her husband's film.

The Australian reports this morning that her national profile and stellar reputation as a multiple-time Walkley award-winning journalist was effectively ‘sold’ in a funding application for husband Tony Jones' film Sentient.

The masthead reports that "documents from Screen Australia show Ferguson was listed as a “key creative” in funding submissions, with her CV attached."

According to standard ABC policy, employees should obtain prior written approval for external projects, but Ferguson did not declare her interest until two years later.

Further complicating the issue, Screen Australia documents obtained under Freedom of Information, indicate “that ABC managing director Hugh Marks may have misled parliament when he told a Senate estimates hearing in May that Ferguson had “no active role in the financing of the program”.”

The film, which Jones directed, secured $200,000 in taxpayer funding from Screen Australia,

READ MORE: 7.30’s Sarah Ferguson on her extraordinary Gisèle Pelicot interview

 

 

 

 

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The controversy between Sarah Ferguson and the ABC

Marks also told the Senate communications committee at the time that Ferguson was only involved with Jones' film for “tossing around ideas for the project” and that the project was “taken forward by other people that did not involve Ms Ferguson”.

It is not implied that Marks knew then that Ferguson’s profile had been used in fundraising efforts.

Reportedly, it was only after the documentary was accepted for screening at the Sundance Film Festival that Ferguson sought approval to be credited as an executive producer, thereby declaring her interest.