Fed: ABC board, manager has confidence of PM

AAP General News (Australia)
02-18-2001
Fed: ABC board, manager has confidence of PM

SYDNEY, Feb 18 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard today said he had full confidence in
the managing director and board of the ABC despite it calling in federal police to interrogate
staff over leaked documents.

Up to 11 ABC employees were interrogated on Friday by federal police officers investigating
the leaking of internal documents, as morale at the public broadcaster plummeted to a
new low.

About 300 ABC workers in Sydney walked off the job for half-an-hour on Friday for a
snap stopwork meeting and unanimously passed a motion calling for the removal of Jonathan
Shier as managing director.

But Mr Howard said he had confidence in the current management and the government did
not interfere in the day-to-day running of the public broadcaster.

"I don't get involved in decisions on programs or personnel," Mr Howard told reporters.

"We appoint a board, the board appoints a managing director, the board has my full
confidence, the managing director has my full confidence.

"But as to the details of it, that is a matter for the managing director and the board
and we don't get involved in any way in the day-to-day affairs of the ABC."

AAP sal/cdh

KEYWORD: ABC HOWARD

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.