Written by Lucas Zhu and Melanie Clarry

Over 2,000 staff from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have staged a nationwide 24-hour strike, protesting against ongoing disputes over pay, job security, and the use and regulation of AI in journalism.

Staff in the Media, Entertainment, and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) officially began the strike at 11am on Wednesday, with picketers walking off the job and being locked out of the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters, in the first such action at the ABC in 20 years.

Staff rejected the ABC’s most recent pay offer in a ballot on March 23, with 60 per cent of participating members voting against a 10 per cent pay rise over three years. They said the offer of 3.5 per cent in the first year, followed by 3.2 per cent, amounted to ‘more of a pay cut’ when paired to the current inflation rate of 3.8 per cent, and failed to address concerns surrounding overtime rates and opportunities for health-related leave. Unions have asked for a 5.5 per cent annual pay increase.

Programming was impacted, with the national broadcaster forced to use BBC news packages and repeats of shows, as staff at 60 locations around the country walked off the job.

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ABC National host Fran Kelly. Photo: Melanie Clarry.

At a rally outside the ABC’s Ultimo studios on The Goods Line, longtime Radio National host Fran Kelly warned of a brain drain as the best talent left the organisation in frustration.

“I’m committed to public broadcasting, which is why you’re all here,” she said.

“I’ve seen too many sensational journalists, sensational producers, leave, not because they want to, but because they had to.”

CPSU organiser Claudia Bianchi said ABC management was not fully appreciating the value of its employees’ work in negotiations. 

“We all go above and beyond in our work. We do that for our audiences,” she said. “We do that to create quality work. We do that because of our place in Australian democracy … [and] they’re not valuing us.

“They’ve got to value us, pay us fairly, and sort out our progression process.”

The most recent enterprise bargaining agreement, which regulates pay and conditions for ABC employees, expired on October 1, 2025, with negotiations surrounding the creation of a new agreement having taken place over the last nine months. 

A proposed one-off $1,000 bonus was also rejected due to its exclusion of casual staff and its lack of contribution to salaries and superannuation.

Staff at SBS approved a new enterprise agreement at the beginning of the month for a 3 per cent pay rise for the next year and a $1,500 bonus.

ABC staff also complained of a persistent lack of career progression at the public broadcaster.

They stay for years and years at the same pay band without a promotion.

Michael Slezak, co-chair of the ABC MEAA National House Committee

A spokesperson for the MEAA said journalists at the public broadcaster constantly face “fewer opportunities for pay progression, less certainty about their future, and growing workloads”, risking communities losing “trusted local voices”. 

Similarly Michael Slezak, co-chair of the ABC MEAA National House Committee, said journalists were not being recognised through pay for their experience.

“They stay for years and years at the same pay band without a promotion,” he added. “And so we’ve had enough of the way that they’re doing it, and we’re demanding automatic progression up to the top of one of the bands.”

Viewers of ABC News programs were informed of the impending industrial action by presenters on the night before and morning of the strike.

ABC News’ broadcast content was replaced with live feeds from the BBC, while the nightly 7 o’clock state bulletins were replaced with a repeat of Australian Story. 

Speaking to Central News, MEAA director Cassie Derrick said the volatility of negotiations had left picketers with no choice but to strike.

“No member is here to disparage the ABC,” she added. “But in any negotiation it’s got to the point where we cannot continue to maintain discussions.

“It’s serious. Let’s get back to the table and deliver the change that we need.”

Derrick also called for the ABC to be transparent in its use of AI, arguing that consultation and “commitments” around the boundaries of such usage ensures “meaningful accessibility” while countering potential mis- and dis-information.

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Cassie Derrick, director of the MEAA, speaks to reporters. Photo: Melanie Clarry.

 

Meanwhile, ABC managing director Hugh Marks apologised to listeners on ABC Radio Sydney for the industrial action and defended the offers and positions of the broadcaster, arguing the pay claims put forward by the union were “unmanageable” and “overindexing” and would put staff “in peril”.

His further branding of the industrial action as “a bit of a game” drew criticism from Slezak, who told The Guardian Marks’s claims were “offensive” and showed he was “not listening to the staff”.

ABC staff returned to work at 11am yesterday, with most radio services back up by 11:45am and the ABC News channel returning to its original schedule by 12:30pm.

While staff have returned to work, many indicated this may not be the final stage of industrial action, with ongoing calls for secure employment conditions, fair career pathways, and stronger institutional support for journalism.

Meanwhile, the ABC has also lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission to resolve the ongoing dispute, with the first hearing scheduled for March 30.

Main image by Melanie Clarry.