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Sacked ABC boss paid $1.64m in total

Former ABC boss Michelle Guthrie has been paid $730,000 by the broadcaster through a settlement of legal action, after receiving $911,000 upon her termination.

Former ABC Managing Director Michelle Guthrie.
Former ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie was paid a total of $1.64m after sacking. (AAP)

The ABC has paid its former managing director Michelle Guthrie $730,000 to settle legal action she took against them, bringing her total payments since being sacked in September to $1.64 million.

The settlement figure was meant to be kept secret, after the ABC and Ms Guthrie reached a confidential resolution to the Federal Court litigation on Friday.

But under pressure from senators, the ABC's acting managing director David Anderson has revealed the number at an estimates hearing in Sydney, covered by parliamentary privilege.

"I believe I'm at a point where I am going to have to answer your question," Mr Anderson told the committee on Wednesday.

"There was toing and froing to reach the number that I'm about to give you.

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"The gross amount of that settlement claim is $730,000."

Former ABC board member Simon Mordant helped negotiate the settlement, which came after Ms Guthrie received $911,000 upon her termination.

Ms Guthrie was sacked halfway through a five-year contract in September, with the ABC board resolving it was not in the best interest of the broadcaster for her leadership to continue.

The decision was made a few days after Ms Guthrie handed the board an 11-page dossier, claiming then-chair Justin Milne had encouraged her to fire journalists because senior government figures had taken issue with them.

Mr Milne denied the claims, but resigned as chair three days after Ms Guthrie's departure, after excerpts of the dossier were made public.

A Senate inquiry into the allegations of political interference is under way.

Acting chair Dr Kirstin Ferguson told a public hearing on Tuesday that the ABC has dropped its own planned investigation into the matter, after Ms Guthrie told them she would not be part of it.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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