ABC political journalist Laura Tingle has been reprimanded by her own bosses after claiming Australia is a “racist country”.
Tingle, chief political correspondent for the 7.30am programme, made the comment on the Sydney Writers Festival on Sunday.
‘We are a racist country, let’s face it. We always have been and it’s very depressing,” he said during a panel discussion.
Tingle also accused opposition leader Peter Dutton of fanning the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment and praised the leadership of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
ABC News chief Justin Stevens weighed in on the comments Wednesday night.
ABC political journalist Laura Tingle has been reprimanded by her own bosses after claiming Australia is a “racist country”.
It said Tingle’s comments “lacked the context, balance and supporting information of his work for the ABC and would not have met the ABC’s editorial standards”.
“Although the comments were a conversation and were not made in their working capacity, the ABC and its employees have unique obligations in the Australian media,” Mr Stevens said.
‘Today he has explained his comments in more detail to ensure there is a factual record of the relevant context and details.
‘ABC editorial standards play a vital role. Laura was reminded of her application at external events and in her work and I advised her on her comments.’
Tingle published an article on the ABC website explaining what he meant when he called Australia “racist”.
It said Tingle’s comments “lacked the context, balance and supporting information of his work for the ABC and would not have met the ABC’s editorial standards”.
“Although the comments were a conversation and were not made in their working capacity, the ABC and its employees have unique obligations in the Australian media,” Mr Stevens said.
‘Today he has explained his comments in more detail to ensure there is a factual record of the relevant context and details.
‘ABC editorial standards play a vital role. Laura was reminded of her application at external events and in her work and I advised her on her comments.’
Tingle doubled down on his claims in an article posted on ABC’s website.
“In fact, on Sunday I made the observation that we are a racist country, in the context of a discussion about future political prospects,” he said.
‘I wasn’t saying all Australians are racist. But clearly we have a problem with racism.”
Tingle also accused opposition leader Peter Dutton of fanning the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment.
Tingle highlighted some of Mr Dutton’s recent comments on migration.
“People know that if you move to the suburbs it is difficult for your children to go to school or daycare,” Mr. Dutton had said.
‘It is difficult to go to a GP because doctors have closed their books. It is difficult to undergo elective surgery.
“All of these factors have contributed to capacity constraints due to a lack of planning in the migration program.”
He has also said that immigrants were the cause of “congestion on our roads.”
Tingle said that as an alternative prime minister and with an election approaching in a year’s time, Dutton’s comments deserved “rigorous scrutiny and scrutiny”.
“Surveys, including those conducted by the ABC, have repeatedly found that most Australians of non-European origin report experiences of discrimination and racism in their lives, sometimes as early as primary school,” he said.
‘In my commentary on the ABC and at the Sydney Writers Festival, I expressed concern about the risks involved in Peter Dutton pushing the housing button and linking it to migration for these reasons.
‘Political leaders, with their comments, give others license to express opinions they would not otherwise be able to express.
‘That doesn’t make them racist.
“But it has real-world implications for many Australians.”
During Sunday’s panel, Tingle said he couldn’t remember the last time a major party leader was seen “saying…everything that’s wrong in this country is because of immigrants.”
‘(I had) this sudden flash of people turning up to try to rent a property or at an auction and they looked a little bit different – however you define different – (and) that basically he (Dutton) had given them license to be abused and in any circumstance where people feel like they are missing out,” he said.
Tingle accused Dutton of “dog whistling” and said his call to reduce immigration made “no rational sense”.
He also praised the Labor Party, saying: “It’s not just about whether they got rid of Scott Morrison, they’re actually trying to govern, they’re trying to run a government, they’re actually trying to make policy.”
“Whether you think politics is bullshit or not, that’s another issue.”
Critics of Tingle’s comments accused her of not being impartial as a political reporter.
Others called for the ABC to stop receiving taxpayer funds.
‘Who really cares and believes the bullshit that a biased, pro-worker national broadcaster is putting out?’ Fair Defund ABC and get rid of them,’ one person wrote on X.
‘Laura Tingle does not speak for the majority of Australians… Defund ABC!’ said another.
‘Tingle has already spent his time at ABC. ABC is anti-Australia. Defund it,” wrote another.
Tingle was appointed to the ABC board as a staff-elected director in 2023 and is required to “act in good faith at all times and in the best interests of ABC.”
In March, ABC chair Kim Williams shared a strong message saying staff should leave if they breached the national broadcaster’s balance code.
“If you don’t want to reflect a vision that aspires to impartiality, don’t work at the ABC,” he said.
Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman described Tingle’s comments about Dutton as “extraordinary and completely indefensible”.
“In addition to her comments about Mr. Dutton, Ms. Tingle has made other statements regarding her views on the Albanian government and the coalition,” he said.
‘While every Australian is entitled to their political opinions, not all Australians are chief political correspondents for the ABC’s 7.30 programme.
“The ABC needs to explain how Ms Tingle’s statements are compatible with her role at the taxpayer-funded broadcaster.”
ABC chief executive David Anderson will be questioned about Tingle’s comments on Thursday at the Senate estimates hearing in Canberra.