ABC managing director David Anderson has announced he will step down after nearly six years in the role.
In a note to ABC staff, Anderson said he believed it was “the right moment for leadership renewal for the next stage of the ABC’s continued evolution”.
Anderson was appointed managing director in May 2019, after acting in the role from September 2018. He was reappointed last year for a term that would have seen him remain until 2028.
The announcement comes after media executive and composer Kim Williams took over as ABC chairperson in March, replacing Ita Buttrose.
Anderson, who will stay on until his successor is appointed, said he was “still very much committed to the importance of the ABC to the nation”.
“To have the opportunity to serve the Australian public and lead such talented and dedicated people across the country and overseas for what is approaching six years is humbling,” he said.
“I am grateful to Kim Williams and the Board for their support and their efforts to persuade me to stay on for my full second term. Their unabashed enthusiasm for the importance and future of the Corporation makes this decision easier. I am confident the timing is right for both me and the ABC.”
Anderson’s tenure has coincided with a period of significant change for the broadcaster, which faced challenges in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic, budget cuts, and shifts in audience viewing habits.
In a statement, Williams described him as a “loyal, devoted, and talented ABC executive”.
“He has served the corporation in the best tradition of committed public service over a long period,” he said.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland also thanked Anderson for his “dedicated service”.
“Mr Anderson has provided an experienced and steady hand at the ABC, having risen through the ranks, and I look forward to seeing the outcome of the appointment process as the ABC continues to fulfil its Charter to inform, educate and entertain all Australians,” she said.
Anderson’s performance in the role was called into question earlier this year amid the dismissal of newsreader Antoinette Lattouf from a short-term contract in December. In January, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) announced union members at the broadcaster had passed a vote of no confidence in him for failing to defend the integrity of the ABC and its staff from outside attacks.
MEAA Media acting director Michelle Rae said, for union members, it was important that the next managing director put an end to the seemingly endless cycle of redundancies and restructures, and restore stability and confidence that staff can have viable, secure careers at the national broadcaster.
“The ABC is one of Australia’s most important institutions, and as such it needs strong leadership,” she said.
“The managing director of the ABC must put the ABC and its staff first. They must be prepared to stare down lobbying by politicians, businesses and unaccountable organisations that seek to interfere in the ABC’s journalism.
“As the effective editor-in-chief of ABC news, the next managing director must reaffirm the independence of its reporting so it can be trusted by all Australians as a source of journalism without fear and favour.”
The ABC will begin the process to select a new managing director in due course. Read Anderson’s full statement here.