The ABC’s plans to relocate its inner-city Sydney headquarters to a new location in Parramatta have been met with “mixed reactions” from dissatisfied employees.
Tuesday, a parliamentary committee interrogated ABC officials over their proposal to relocate more than 300 of the 2,000 Ultimo-based employees to western Sydney by 2024.
However, the ABC board reported that the journalists and content creators who were requested to relocate have mixed opinions about the proposal.
The ABC’s plan to relocate 300 employees from the inner city to Parramatta has been met with mixed reactions from employees (pictured, the existing ABC headquarters in Ultimo, Sydney)
David Anderson, managing director of the ABC, stated, “There are some individuals who are quite thrilled with this, and others who are not at all happy.”
“I understand your fear; you’ve built your life around your job, and it’s a significant change.”
Regarding this, numerous concerns have been raised, which we are taking into account and carefully considering.
In response, the ABC intends to subsidize child care and parking for some employees, as well as ensure that Parramatta has sufficient parking spaces.
Some teams, such as the Sydney newsroom and daytime radio, will work from the west permanently. Others, including as ABC Radio National and Triple J, will alternate between Parramatta and Ultimo based on the events of the calendar.
Nonetheless, the process of staff consultation is ongoing, and plans are not yet etched in stone.
He told the parliamentary inquiry, “We have a lot more consultation to do, but we are consulting in good faith and want to make this as painless as possible for individuals who are relocating to Parramatta.”
The move is a part of the ABC’s five-year effort to better reflect Australia’s diversity, which Mr. Anderson deems vital in order to “remain near to the source of our stories.”
“The ABC must evolve as Australia does,” he remarked.
We are extremely certain that this investment will result in an enhanced ABC.
David Anderson, Managing Director of the ABC, is sure that the change will help the ABC better reflect Australia’s diversity.
The national broadcaster stated that taxpayers will incur no additional costs as a result of the relocation plan.
ABC will instead foot the bill by subleasing seven floors of their Sydney Central Business District buildings in February.
Before the ABC can outfit the Parramatta site, parliamentary clearance is still required.
Assuming approval is granted, construction will commence in early 2023, and employees will move in beginning in 2024.
The government budget has raised the funding cycle for the public broadcaster from three to five years to maintain its independence and long-term planning plans.