The ABC’s first strike in 20 years just started

Nathan Jolly

March 25, 2026 11:00

The ABC’s first strike in 20 years just started

ABC staff have walked off the job for 24 hours in the first major strike to the hit the national broadcaster in 20 years.

The strike started at 11am on Wednesday, and will see regular news programming replaced with the BBC World Service, repeats aplenty, and Triple J and Classic FM running a music-only schedule.

ABC TV’s 7.30 with Sarah Ferguson will be cancelled on Wednesday evening, as will ABC News Breakfast on Thursday morning.

ABC RN Breakfast and AM on Thursday morning, plus the World Today, PM, and Late Night Live with David Marr will not air on Radio National, with the station instead running a blend of repeats, pre-recorded segments, and BBC World Service simulcasts.

The ABC News 24-hour channel will run repeats of shows, mixed with BBC News programming, while the fate of the evening ABC TV news is as yet unknown.

Staff are fighting for a better pay deal than the 10% rise over three years being offered by managing director Hugh Marks, in addition to improved work conditions, and more clarity around the future use of artificial intelligence.

Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance CEO, Erin Madeley, said in a statement issued to Mumbrella the ABC staffers were brave for standing up to management “but they should never have been pushed to this point”.

“ABC staff are taking this step because they want fair pay that keeps up with the cost of living, genuine job security, and working conditions that allow them to continue serving the Australian public with integrity.

“Experienced journalists and media workers are being asked to do more with less – with fewer opportunities for pay progression, less certainty about their future, and growing workloads.

“This isn’t just a workforce issue. When skilled, experienced staff are forced out, communities lose trusted local voices, particularly in regional Australia where the ABC is often the only local newsroom.”

The union said that around 1200 of the ABC’s total 4500 staffers are MEAA members.

According to the Guardian, Justin Stevens and Ben Latimer emailed their divisions on Tuesday, instructing them to “avoid making statements that could be interpreted as compromising impartiality on future matters you may be asked to report on”.

“Furthermore, any derogatory or disparaging comments about the ABC may amount to a breach of the Code of Conduct and may be addressed in accordance with disciplinary processes,” Latimer wrote.

The ABC’s chief people officer, Deena Amorelli, sent an all-staff email on Monday morning that said the ABC will “make an application to the Fair Work Commission to assist with resolving bargaining.”

Marks said in a statement sent to Mumbrella: “I believe the revised offer that we asked staff to vote on appropriately balanced fairness to our staff against the ability of the ABC to continue to invest in content and services for the benefit of our audiences. The offer was both sustainable and financially responsible.”

Marks cointinued: “I understand that in the current climate higher pay would help many individuals, but we must also remain focused on the long-term sustainability of the ABC and its relevance to all Australians. It is a balance. No one has provided any evidence to me to suggest ABC staff are paid less than industry standards.

“In addition, the leave provisions ABC staff receive are generally more generous than many other major workplaces. Our revised offer further expands on our current provisions, including benefits such as 20 days of personal leave, three days of disability leave and increased parental leave for secondary carers.

“I believe the pay offer reflects the maximum level the ABC can sustainably provide and is balanced when looking across all the factors that we need to consider.”