ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
The rot inside the ABC is safe for another year after the public broadcaster elected to cut services, content and journalists to protect the useless middle managers and ageing senior executives in the organisation.
The ABC’s $41m budget deficit this year means something had to give.
One job that sure as shit wasn’t going to be sacrificed upon the altar of utilitarianism was Roger Nurse’s one.
The 58-year-old is the ABC Diamantina’s senior lead social media captioner, one of three employed at the bureau to take content from the ABC’s website and put them on social media with an appropriate caption.
He’s on an $85 000 salary, plus super. He works 4 days a week because he’s got grandkids.
“I’m not ready to retire! I’m still full of life,” he said.
“And I’ve been working at Aunty for 40 years! I’ve done my time.”
On the inverse, a junior news producer has just been told that their $39 000 salary was simply a bridge too far for the ABC this year.
Meg Taylor, a recent graduate of the South Betoota Polytechnic College and an Overell School of Journalism Scholar, is now looking for another job.
“Fuck this journalism shit,” she said.
“I’m going to work for David Littleproud – or Droga5 Betoota. Or Porter Fuckvelli. I don’t care. I’m never going back to journalism.”
More to come.
