{"id":700868,"date":"2026-05-28T22:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T22:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/700868\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T22:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T22:04:15","slug":"abc-news-simon-robinson-newly-appointed-chief-hasnt-worked-in-australia-since-1990s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/700868\/","title":{"rendered":"ABC News Simon Robinson: Newly appointed chief hasn\u2019t worked in Australia since 1990s"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In this week\u2019s On Background, the long road home for the new boss of ABC News, Tony Abbott\u2019s duelling media and political careers, Sky News\u2019 Great British expansion and 10News+ reaches new heights.<\/p>\n

From Nairobi to Sydney<\/p>\n

There are more than 1000 journalists at the ABC, and several thousand more across Australia\u2019s media industry. Almost all of them were Googling Simon Robinson\u2019s name on Thursday, having never heard of the new ABC News boss.<\/p>\n

Robinson, the executive editor of global wire-agency Reuters, is an Aussie, but he\u2019s been living and working outside the country during the 21st century. He has been stationed as far afield as Nairobi, Johannesburg, New Delhi and Baghdad before settling in London. It is, indeed, a triumphant homecoming.<\/p>\n

\"ForeignForeign correspondent and mockumentary writer – and now boss of ABC News – Simon Robinson.LinkedIn<\/p>\n

The ABC\u2019s sudden overhaul of its news leadership was months in the making. With the story breaking on Wednesday in the Herald and The Age that Justin Stevens was resigning<\/a>, it didn\u2019t take long for the name of his successor to emerge.<\/p>\n

On Background sources say ABC leadership firmed its decision to appoint its next news boss weeks before Justin Stevens knew about the process to replace him.<\/p>\n

A global search led by recruitment firm Hourigan delivered a shortlist to ABC boss Hugh Marks from news organisations across the world, including the BBC, sources say.<\/p>\n

With Robinson firmed up as the successor, Stevens took leave last week following a meeting with Marks and head of people and culture Deena Amorelli, before officially walking away from the job on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

There had been some tension between Stevens, Marks and chair Kim Williams over the future direction of ABC News, including the strategy to overhaul parts of the newsroom and the speed at which this was done. Some of this included how to best use its fixed funding, sources with knowledge of the discussions not authorised to speak publicly said.<\/p>\n

Stevens and Marks declined to comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWilliams was for a period of time the chair of the Reuters Institute, so obviously would know Mr Robinson through his role with Reuters,\u201d Marks said in Canberra on Thursday when pressed on the appointment.<\/p>\n

\"ABCABC boss Hugh Marks faced a barrage of questions in Canberra on Thursday.Alex Ellinghausen<\/p>\n

Last week, during a lengthy interview with Tasmanian podcast Poll Position, Williams even urged the hosts to take out a subscription with Reuters.<\/p>\n

\u201cReuters had 190 news bureaus around the world and I got to visit about 60 of them […] I met lots of wonderful journos across the length and breadth of the world, and also lived through a very interesting digital migration process for Reuters,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s CV does not show a senior editorial leadership position in the Australian media industry, but he does have extensive leadership experience in overseas media companies.<\/p>\n

Nor does he have significant experience in television. Robinson\u2019s experience in Australia was as a reporter for Who Weekly in the 1990s, according to his CV on LinkedIn. He spent 15 years travelling the world as a correspondent for Time magazine before joining Reuters in London in 2010.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Mahmood<\/a><\/p>\n

Marks may have even appointed him to the wrong department, given that Robinson\u2019s CV mentions that he wrote and produced an award-winning satirical movie about aid workers and journalists in Africa. (Note to readers: we\u2019re looking for a copy of that one).<\/p>\n

Regardless, the move is the biggest swing to date for the ABC under the Marks and Williams era. But what does it say about how they perceive our own media industry, or the talent in ABC\u2019s internal ranks?<\/p>\n

Points for thinking outside the box, however.<\/p>\n

Politically reborn, but still cashed up<\/p>\n

Less than a week ago, Tony Abbott, the prime minister most affectionately remembered for eating raw onions and wearing budgie smugglers, made his grand return to front-line politics as federal president of the ailing Liberal Party.<\/p>\n

It is a cushy gig, but unfortunately for Tony, it is also unpaid. So it is handy that while effectively chairing the Libs, he will be retaining his $500,000 annual gig on the board of Lachlan Murdoch\u2019s Fox Corporation, On Background has confirmed.<\/p>\n

Add that to the $300,000 a year pension he is entitled to as a former PM, as well as the $200,000+ he claims in annual expenses and it\u2019s quite the life he is leading in semi-retirement.<\/p>\n

Abbott has been on Murdoch\u2019s payroll for the past few years now, and recently, he had his best-selling book on the history of Australia published by their very own Harper Collins, which admittedly sits in the News Corp half of the family purse. He also produced and fronted a three-part documentary to accompany the book for Sky News last year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In the United Kingdom, poll-topping Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has similarly (and arguably to a greater extent) blurred the lines of politics and media, as he hosts his own show on GB News, which is run by Sky News\u2019 former CEO Angelos Frangopoulos. Nige (never one to turn down a cheque)collects a wage from Sky here as well, getting paid \u00a331,145.62 ($59,000) for his appearances on the network between February and November according to the UK Parliament disclosures.<\/p>\n

\"PetaPeta and Tony: From Sky to Social Media in 24 hours.Instagram<\/p>\n

How long until our Tony is presenting his own nightly briefing?<\/p>\n

But the most crucial task lies ahead for Tony: Reuniting his two great loves, News Corp and the Liberal Party. After all, Sky News has run off with One Nation in recent times.<\/p>\n

Abbott was back on Sky on Monday, appearing on his former chief of staff Peta Credlin\u2019s show. The next day, he was back again! But this time, not on Sky, but on Credlin\u2019s Instagram from inside her kitchen.<\/p>\n

As previously reported in this column, the presence of One Nation figures has increased on Sky, with some of its After Dark hosts openly supporting the party. Some reckon it\u2019s a way to drag the Liberal Party further to the right.<\/p>\n

Despite funding former Kerry Stokes consigliere Bruce McWilliam\u2019s stake in Southern Cross\/Seven<\/a>, one of Sky\u2019s largest advertisers and favourite figures Gina Rinehart, who has jetted Pauline Hanson around the country before buying her a new plane, continues to support the News Corp network.<\/p>\n

Sky flew over to Western Australia for a big shoot with Rinehart recently, On Background hears. Can\u2019t wait to watch!<\/p>\n

In January, Rinehart \u201cbrokered\u201d a lunch for a number of Liberal Party donors at President Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago in return for One Nation donations, The Australian reported. Two months later, Sky host Rita Panahi flew to Florida<\/a> for a birthday party thrown by Rinehart, alongside a trip to Mar-a-Lago. Go figure.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Gina<\/a>God save the King<\/p>\n

Gina\u2019s ad dollars must be helping because Sky \u2013 soon to be known as News24 \u2013 is officially \u201copening a News24 bureau in London\u201d in November, its head of news Elise Holman told staff this week.<\/p>\n

Sta\u015b Butler, Sky\u2019s polyglot Oxford alumni and Asia correspondent is moving to become senior European correspondent, based at News Corp\u2019s London HQ.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re also on the lookout for a new UK correspondent, according to the note. Maybe they could convince Farage to make the jump full-time?<\/p>\n

10News+ reaches new heights <\/p>\n

It has been a rough old year for Network 10\u2019s fledgling news program 10News+, which was sliced in half after just a few months of poor ratings.<\/p>\n

One thing On Background\u2019s few eagle-eyed spotters noticed, however, was a curious choice from the clothing department when political editor Ashleigh Raper and national affairs editor Hugh Riminton came out to present that show.<\/p>\n

\"10News+\u2019s10News+\u2019s great levellerTen News<\/p>\n

It was Raper\u2019s choice of footwear. Or more accurately, lack of. With just a split-second wide shot, it showed the barefooted Raper only marginally shorter than the platformed news veteran in his polished boots.<\/p>\n

An odd choice, sure. But a necessary leveller? On Background reached out to both Raper and Riminton for an explanation but didn\u2019t get one.<\/p>\n

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"CalumCalum Jaspan<\/a> is a media writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Melbourne. Reach him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":700869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-700868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}