Frosty relations between the ABC and the government show no signs of warming

In a wide-ranging Senate estimates hearing on Monday,ABC managing director David Anderson revealed the public broadcaster had agreed to pay $100,000 to Industry Minister Christian Porter’s lawyer Rebekah Giles to settle his defamation case.

Mr Anderson was recalled to face questioning from senators about Mr Porter’s defamation action against the ABC,after appearing earlier this year.

He also faced questions around any influence the government had in the decision to hold back aFour Corners episode exploring the Prime Minister’s ties to a QAnon conspiracy theorist.

The hearing comes at a time where relations between the government and the tax-payer funded broadcaster are at an all-time low and Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger called for ABC chair Ita Buttrose to resign,labelling her leadership a “terrible failure”.

Today onPlease Explain, federal political reporter Lisa Visentin joins Nathanael Cooper to look at what we discovered in Monday’s senate estimates.

Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage.

Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe toThe Sydney Morning Herald orThe Age.

Nathanael Cooper is the Executive Producer,audio and the co-host of Please Explain.

Most Viewed in National