The ABC has paid consulting firms nearly $950,000 so far this financial year

The ABC has already laid out significant funding for consulting firms this financial year, as the organisation prepares for a top-down restructure in a bid to improve its content and digital capability. 

In response to questions taken on notice at a Senate estimates hearing on February 14, the ABC said it had clocked up $947,224 in consultancy expenses between July 1 2022 and February 17 this year. 

Boston Consulting Group, which is working with the ABC to streamline its move to digital, received $690,000 in fees for “strategic advice”. The national broadcaster also sought “strategic advice” from L.E.K. Consulting Australia, at a cost of $208,590. 

Smaller amounts, according to the disclosure, were spent on “cultural safety advice” from Jacqueline Leewai, a diversity and inclusion manager at Deloitte, at a cost of $15,000, and “technical advice” from McGrathNicol Advisory. 

On average the ABC spends $1.7 million on consulting services each year, but spending this financial year is expected to track lower. 

The disclosure comes as staff mull a new pay deal, which would see employees receive an 11% pay rise over three years, back-dated to October 1 last year. 

Late last month, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) called off planned strike action and agreed in principle to the offer, which would see workers get a 4% pay rise in the first and second years, with the remaining 3% to come in the third. 

MEAA media director Cassie Derrick said management had also agreed to an audit of the broadcaster’s culturally and linguistically diverse and gender pay gaps, and to involve the union in the legal drafting of a new enterprise agreement.

However, the new pay deal doesn’t rule out potential job cuts when the organisation undergoes a complete restructure, set to take effect from July 1, as part of an effort to streamline the broadcaster’s reporting lines and improve its content. 

As part of that restructure, the ABC brought in Chris Oliver-Taylor as chief content officer from Netflix last month. He was described by managing director David Anderson as one of the most experienced “content leaders” in the industry, bringing with him a “well-honed” sense of what audiences want, as the broadcaster struggles to get traction with younger Australians. 

In trying to reach younger audiences, the ABC is expected to cut spending on its legacy TV and radio broadcast operations.