Overview
- Justin Stevens announced his resignation on Wednesday and will leave the ABC after 19 years, stepping down immediately from the director of news role.
- ABC managing director Hugh Marks told senators the replacement will be appointed imminently and confirmed the selection came through a process run by an external recruiter.
- Marks denied Stevens was pushed out and rejected claims the broadcaster has systemic bias while facing questioning at Senate estimates about past editorial errors.
- Multiple reports name Reuters executive Simon Robinson as a likely external hire, but the ABC has not confirmed that appointment and the choice remains unannounced.
- Donna Field, head of regional, rural and metro news, is reported to be acting news director until a permanent successor is named; the change comes after years of restructures, high‑profile mistakes such as the Line of Fire editing issue and a costly defamation loss, and could shift priorities between digital and broadcast coverage under Marks’s leadership.