Former News boss Justin Stevens payout
Former ABC News director Justin Stevens was given a $353,000 payout when he abruptly exited the public broadcaster in May.
Stevens, who spent 19 years at the ABC, exited earlier this year after managing director Hugh Marks had already lined up his replacement, Simon Robinson.
The figure was revealed in the ABC’s annual report, released on Monday evening as executives from the broadcaster prepare to appear in front of a senate estimates committee on Tuesday.
The ABC has experienced significant turnover in its senior ranks since the arrival of Marks. Almost his entire management team has been replaced during this period, including the recent exit of chief operating officer Melanie Kleyn, who has been replaced by Trent Dickeson from Seven West Media. Kleyn was paid a full package of $869,771 in 2026 and is expected to have landed a severance package as well.
Marks was paid a total package of $1,199,856 in the 2026 financial year, which includes a base salary of $1,134,639. ABC chair Kim Williams was paid $226,000.
ABC staff are expecting major changes to come to its news division under Robinson. Last week, Robinson told staff the broadcaster had axed The Business, a business news program that has been running for 20 years.
Marks and other ABC executives are expected to be pressed on a series of issues on Tuesday, including the fallout from the saga surrounding former Four Corners reported Mahmood Fazal, who was sacked by the ABC in May after setting up an unauthorised podcast. Several episodes of his investigative reporting for Four Corners and Background Briefing were later removed due to concerns over his sourcing.
The ABC’s own independent ombudsman later said the failings relating to two episodes published in 2023 and 2024 undermined trust in the broadcaster.
The entire reporting line responsible for the relevant episodes, including Fazal, Four Corners boss Matthew Carney, investigations boss Jo Puccini, Stevens and then-managing director David Anderson, have all left.
More to come
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Calum Jaspan is a media writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Melbourne. Reach him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect via X or email.