The ABC will end memberships with ACON’s Pride in Diversity program and other inclusion bodies, in a move they say is driven by leadership changes and ongoing scrutiny over its relationships with advocacy organisations.
Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC, will end formal memberships with several external diversity and inclusion organisations — including ACON’s Pride in Diversity program — as part of a broader shift aimed at ‘reinforcing editorial independence’.
The decision, first reported by The Guardian Australia, was communicated to staff via an internal email and comes amid long-running external pressure and scrutiny over the broadcaster’s relationships with advocacy groups.
Alongside ACON, the ABC plans to withdraw from the Australian Disability Network and the Diversity Council of Australia.
Leadership reset and ongoing scrutiny
The move marks a reset under managing director Hugh Marks, who took over the role in March 2025.
It follows years of internal debate and questioning at Senate estimates hearings, where the ABC faced scrutiny over paying membership fees to organisations — including ACON — that also assess and rank workplaces on diversity and inclusion.
These arrangements had drawn criticism from some politicians and commentators, who argued they could create a perceived conflict with the ABC’s obligation to remain impartial.
It is understood the ABC was paying $12,000+ a year to ACON.
The partnership has been under scrutiny since the broadcaster’s own Media Watch program raised issues about possible conflicts of interest in October 2022.
What is changing — and what isn’t
The change relates specifically to organisational memberships and formal partnerships, rather than editorial coverage.
This means the ABC will no longer participate in structured programs like Pride in Diversity, which involve workplace benchmarking, training, and public recognition tied to inclusion standards.
The ABC has said the decision is intended to ensure a clear separation between its journalism and any external affiliations.
Importantly, the move does not affect the ABC’s reporting or programming, including coverage of LGBTQIA+ issues and communities.
How the decision was framed
In a statement to The Guardian, the ABC said it must maintain independence in both practice and perception.
“The ABC must remain independent and impartial at all times,” a spokesperson said.
The broadcaster also indicated it will continue to report on issues affecting diverse communities and engage a wide range of perspectives in its coverage.
Why this matters now
The decision lands at a time when LGBTQIA+ issues — particularly those affecting trans and gender-diverse people — are increasingly central to public and political debate in Australia.
Recent months have seen heightened discussion around gender, identity and inclusion across media, politics and online spaces, alongside growing concern from advocates about the spread of misinformation and its real-world impacts.
Within this context, decisions about how major institutions engage with LGBTQIA+ communities — even at a symbolic or organisational level — can carry broader significance.
A broader question of neutrality
The move highlights an ongoing tension for public broadcasters: how to balance editorial neutrality with meaningful engagement with the communities they serve.
For the ABC, stepping back from formal memberships is positioned as a way to protect credibility and avoid any perception of alignment with advocacy groups.
At the same time, such partnerships have historically played a role in community outreach, visibility and trust-building — particularly for marginalised groups.
What happens next
The ABC has indicated it will continue to cover LGBTQIA+ issues as part of its editorial remit.
However, the decision to end formal memberships marks a shift in how the broadcaster structures its relationship with community organisations — one that may shape how it is perceived by audiences and stakeholders moving forward.
For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
De-emphasizing a marginalized community is in no way neutral!
I am reminded of a comment Ruth Cracknell (AM) once made regarding ABC Australia cuts.
“Budget….Cuts!”
To which her co-star Garry McDonald replied, “Bunch of what did you say??!!”
“A Con” seams like an appropriate name for a advocacy group membership that costs $12,000+ a year.
Does the ABC support other advocacy groups with that kind of money. If they are financially backing a group they are not impartial.
As an Australian Tax payer media company ABC should be very transparent on who they are financially backing, especially is it could be viewed as influencing their coverage of news around these groups, that applies for all groups they support.
The ABC can still stand for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community without having to pay membership fees to advocacy groups, in fact their news coverage would come across as more neutral and authentic if they are seen as having nothing to gain from the news. I welcome this break from ACON.
If you are going to apply this ‘neutrality’ and ‘influencing coverage’ logic and scrutiny to the ABC, I would say the same needs to apply to Fox, The Australian, and other Murdoch-owned and/or right-leaning news outlets who would not know ‘neutral’ coverage, particularly around the LGBTQIA+ community, if it hit them in the face.
So much so that these outlets publish made up facts and information about queer communities consistently – the Press Council has even found The Australian breached fairness and accuracy guidelines in its trans coverage.
All this to say, big legacy media orgs all have an agenda, none are impartial.