Sacked Guthrie may file lawsuit

MICHELLE Guthrie is considering her legal options after she was sacked as ABC managing director.

Board chairman Justin Milne said her relationship with the government could have been better and she was not the right leader for the ABC.

But Ms Guthrie said there was no justification for her sacking yesterday, 2½ years into a five-year term.

“I am devastated by the board’s decision to terminate my employment despite no claim of wrongdoing on my part,” she said in a statement yesterday. “I believe there is no justification for the board to trigger that termination clause. I am considering my legal options.”

The first woman to run the ABC and a former Google and News Corp executive, Ms Guthrie was appointed in May 2016 to drive a digital transformation.

“The board felt in the end that her leadership style was not the style that we needed going forward. We needed a different leadership style,” Mr Milne said yesterday, adding that her relationship with the government was a factor.

“That is possibly an area that could have been better,” he said. “(But) the government, I must say, has provided no pressure, no opinion, has not been involved in this decision. This is entirely a board decision.”

Mr Milne conceded Ms Guthrie had done a “pretty good” job of turning the ABC towards its digital future.

“At no point have any issues been raised with me about the transformation being undertaken, the Investing in Audiences strategy and my effectiveness in delivering against that strategy,” Ms Guthrie said.

David Anderson, a 30-year ABC veteran, will be acting managing director while a formal

I AM DEVASTATED BY THE BOARD’S DECISION TO TERMINATE MY EMPLOYMENT DESPITE NO CLAIM OF WRONGDOING MICHELLE GUTHRIE

search process involving internal and external candidates begins.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was told on Sunday night that Ms Guthrie was going to be sacked, but said the ABC board made decisions independently.

“The government thanks Michelle Guthrie and acknowledges her service as managing director of the ABC for the past 2½ years in what is a challenging and rapidly changing media environment,” Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said.

Ms Guthrie was announced as the new managing director in December 2015.