Mr Marks said Mr Stevens had stepped down following internal disagreement over the future direction of the ABC\u2019s news division.<\/p>\n
According to The Australian<\/a>, Mr Stevens will receive a $300,000 payout and will get to enjoy six months of gardening leave despite standing down from the role “effective immediately”.<\/p>\n On Monday, an ABC spokesperson told SkyNews.com.au that “Justin Stevens was paid out his contractual entitlements”.<\/p>\n On May 27, Mr Stevens said his decision to resign was due to “reasons both professional and personal”.<\/p>\n The next day, Mr Stevens\u2019 successor, Reuters executive Simon Robinson, was announced.<\/p>\n Mr\u00a0Marks said differences in editorial direction had been central to the split, particularly around how the newsroom should\u00a0operate\u00a0under increasing pressure to deliver more with limited resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n He said the ABC was considering structural changes, including shifts in output and format.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking on ABC Radio National Breakfast earlier this month, Mr Marks said Mr\u00a0Stevens\u2019 departure<\/a>\u00a0followed a period of unresolved differences.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJustin and I were having discussions about what we both felt the future of news for the ABC was, and maybe we felt there were different directions to pursue,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr Marks was asked whether Mr Stevens had been informed that the ABC was actively seeking his replacement before he resigned.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNo, that wasn\u2019t a discussion we had,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The comments confirmed reporting that the ABC had engaged recruitment firm Hourigan and moved to appoint Mr Robinson before\u00a0Mr\u00a0Stevens\u2019 departure became public.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr\u00a0Marks said he had been meeting potential candidates both formally and informally as part of his broader responsibilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr Stevens has presided over the ABC News division during a period in which the broadcaster faced calls to be defunded and for legislation to be changed to strengthen accountability.<\/p>\n He oversaw a series of scandals and failures, including\u00a0more than 65 admissions of fault in a single year.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"ABC\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5c09a6768668870814d4ba57800adb08.jpeg\")
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