ABC drops Milne over controversial column

News Limited columnist Glenn Milne has lost his spot as a pannelist on the ABC's Insiders.

By InvestSMART · 4 Sep 2011

By InvestSMART ·
4 Sep 2011

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News Limited columnist Glenn Milne has lost his spot as a pannelist on the ABC's Insiders.

NEWS Limited columnist Glenn Milne has been ejected from his spot on the panel of the ABC politics program Insiders after his column last week questioning Julia Gillard's past.

ABC News head of policy Alan Sunderland confirmed yesterday that Milne had been told on Thursday night that ''we wouldn't use him this week and we probably won't be using him again''.

Milne (pictured) said he had contributed to the program for more than 10 years on and off, and he ''regretted'' the decision to axe him ''over something that does not justify it''. Milne sparked a political storm last week after publishing a column in The Australian last Monday which said Ms Gillard was ''implicated albeit unknowingly in a major union fraud'' before she had entered Parliament.

The column was quickly withdrawn after Ms Gillard complained. The Australian apologised to Ms Gillard and acknowledged the allegations were ''untrue''. Milne defended the column yesterday, saying he did not regret writing it.

''I think you've got to have a go at these things and we're in the political domain here. This is a public figure issue, and I believe the story will come out in some form or another, and I think I'll be vindicated in the end,'' he told The Sunday Age. But Insiders host Barrie Cassidy said Milne represented too much of a risk. ''He wrote that in a considered newspaper article ? We are live and spontaneous, and that represents an even greater risk for us.''

Mr Sunderland rejected any suggestion that Ms Gillard or anyone else had pressured the ABC to remove Milne. ''The issue this week played a part, but there were also other issues in the past that I don't want to go into,'' Mr Sunderland said. Milne became infamous in 2006 when he stormed the stage at the journalists' award night, the Walkleys, and assaulted presenter Stephen Mayne.

Conservative blogger Andrew Bolt accused the ABC of a ''sinister and shameful'' act to shut down debate.

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Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…

What happened to Glenn Milne on the ABC program Insiders?

Glenn Milne was removed from his spot as a panellist on the ABC politics program Insiders after publishing a controversial column in The Australian. ABC News head of policy Alan Sunderland said Milne was told he "wouldn't be used this week and we probably won't be using him again."

Why did the ABC drop Glenn Milne from Insiders over the Glenn Milne column?

The ABC said the decision followed a recent column Milne wrote that questioned Julia Gillard's past and sparked a political storm. Insiders host Barrie Cassidy also said Milne represented too much of a risk for a live, spontaneous program. Alan Sunderland said the column issue played a part and there were other past issues the ABC would not detail.

What did Glenn Milne write about Julia Gillard in The Australian?

Milne published a column in The Australian that claimed Julia Gillard was "implicated albeit unknowingly in a major union fraud" before entering Parliament. The article was quickly withdrawn after Gillard complained, and The Australian apologised and acknowledged the allegations were untrue.

Did Julia Gillard or anyone else pressure the ABC to remove Milne?

According to ABC News head of policy Alan Sunderland, no one — including Julia Gillard — pressured the ABC to remove Milne. Sunderland said the recent column issue "played a part" in the decision but rejected suggestions of outside pressure and noted there had been other unspecified issues in the past.

How did The Australian respond after the controversial column about Gillard?

The Australian withdrew the column shortly after Gillard complained, issued an apology to Julia Gillard, and acknowledged that the allegations in the column were untrue.

What did Glenn Milne say about being axed and about his column?

Milne said he had contributed to Insiders on and off for more than 10 years and that he "regretted" the decision to axe him over something he felt did not justify it. At the same time he defended writing the column, saying he did not regret publishing it and expected he would be vindicated eventually.

Has Glenn Milne been involved in previous controversies?

Yes. The article notes Milne became infamous in 2006 when he stormed the stage at the Walkleys (the journalists' awards night) and assaulted presenter Stephen Mayne, an incident that is part of his controversial past.

How did commentators react to the ABC's decision to drop Milne from Insiders?

Reactions included conservative blogger Andrew Bolt accusing the ABC of a "sinister and shameful" act to shut down debate. Insiders host Barrie Cassidy defended the decision on the basis of risk to a live program, while Alan Sunderland emphasised multiple factors influenced the choice.