ABC Reporter Faces Possible Discipline Over Outside Column
ABC management has refused to rule out disciplinary action against climate journalist Michael Slezak over an opinion article he wrote for the Australian Financial Review, according to the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). The claim was reported on 12 October 2026. At issue are the public broadcaster's rules on external work and public comment. The Guardian
Slezak covers climate for the ABC. He is also federal president of media at the MEAA and heads the ABC house committee. That makes him both a staff reporter and an elected representative for journalists.
The column, titled "AICD using Bondi attack to shield directors from media scrutiny", was published on 5 October 2026. It concerned a proposal from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the corporate regulator, to restrict journalists from accessing company directors' home addresses and dates of birth. The Australian Financial Review
Slezak framed it as part of a plan by Treasurer Jim Chalmers for the corporate registry, the public record of who runs companies. He argued the Australian Institute of Company Directors, run by Mark Rigotti, had campaigned for years to limit scrutiny of its members. He called the ASIC proposals a radical attack on corporate transparency. In his words, they amounted to the biggest suppression order in Australian history.
Slezak was then called to a meeting with ABC director of news Simon Robinson and head of digital and national news Lee Glendinning to discuss the ABC's external work policy. Robinson joined the ABC in September after being handpicked by managing director Hugh Marks.
The MEAA says Robinson and Glendinning raised the possibility Slezak had breached the external work policy and code of conduct. The union says management refused to rule out disciplinary action including dismissal. The union position is that Slezak did not need approval because he has an agreement with the ABC permitting public comment in his MEAA role. That agreement is now central.
An open letter calling on Marks and Robinson to confirm Slezak will not face discipline was signed by 197 ABC union members as of Monday afternoon. An ABC spokesperson said guidelines for external work and public comment protect the reputation of the ABC. On 12 October 2026, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the head of news faced a staff revolt after threatening a senior journalist with disciplinary action. The Sydney Morning Herald
A majority of ABC journalists and staff voted against the ABC's latest pay offer, which included a 3.5 per cent pay rise.
The broader context here is a test of where staff duties end and union work begins. Public broadcasters keep external-work and impartiality codes to manage conflicts and reputational risk. Union presidents need latitude to speak publicly on press conditions. Both principles are established. The dispute turns on how to read the specific agreement for MEAA duties.
Looking at what this means for newsroom governance, two tracks will matter. The first is procedural: whether Marks and Robinson provide the assurance sought in the letter, and how the external work policy applies to opinion writing in commercial outlets. The second is substantive: the registry proposal and the balance between director privacy and journalistic access to ownership data. Neither track is resolved.
