ABC Admits to “Systemic” Racism, Issues Apology After Internal Review

Australia’s national broadcaster ABC has been rocked by an internal check that found “systemic” racism within its ranks, CNN reports.

The report, titled “Listen Loudly, Act Strongly,” was released on Tuesday and has prompted an apology from Managing Director David Anderson to all current and former staff.

The review was initiated last year following the high-profile departure of Indigenous anchor Stan Grant, who accused the network of failing to defend him from racist attacks. These attacks intensified after Grant’s commentary on the coronation of King Charles, where he highlighted the devastating impact of colonization on Australia’s First Nations people.

The report, conducted by external consultants, interviewed 120 ABC staff members. A staggering 119 of them reported experiencing racism either personally or witnessing it within the workplace.

“This response overwhelmingly indicates that racism exists within the ABC workplace, and that ABC staff are subjected to racism from external individuals and organisations in connection with their work,” the report found.

Interviews revealed instances of overt racism, including racial slurs and derogatory comments, as well as covert forms of discrimination that impeded career progression and created a sense of cultural unsafety for minority staff members. Some interviewees even reported being denied opportunities due to the perception that they were hired solely to meet diversity targets.

In response to the findings, the ABC has committed to a number of changes, including:

• Proactively becoming “anti-racist.”

• Conducting pay audits for Indigenous and minority staff.

• Implementing training programs to address unconscious bias.

• Strengthening internal reporting mechanisms for racism.

• Taking a zero-tolerance approach towards racist behavior.

Anderson issued a strong statement, vowing to remove racist employees from the network.

“For anyone who thinks it is ok to display or practise racist behaviour, or who thinks they can make people feel belittled based on their identity, we will call you out and remove you from this organisation,” he said. “You are not welcome here. We are a workplace that values respect, and we expect it.”

The ABC, which is government-funded but maintains editorial independence, faces a critical task in repairing the damage revealed by this report.