The ABC has been grilled over anti-Coalition tweets posted by TV personality Julia Zemiro during a senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night.
The 54-year-old is not directly employed by the ABC but appears on the show , which is produced by an external company for the public broadcaster.
Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg singled out a tweet by Ms Zemiro published on New Year’s Eve in which she wrote that Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet should be voted out.
She tweeted that she would not reward them “and their ilk” with another go.
“On this final day of 2021 I pledge to do whatever I can to vote this NSW state and federal government out,” part of the tweexjmtzywt said.
The ABC’s social media guidelines apply to “any person who carries out work in any capacity” for them.
The code of conduct states that personal social media use should not damage the broadcaster’s reputation for impartiality and balance.
ABC managing director David Anderson conceded they had “less control” when someone was not a direct staff member.
However he said it was a “concern” in how they dealt with people in the future who might cause reputational damage to the ABC.
“Ms Zemiro doesn’t work as a contractor for us, she works for another organisation which otherwise we do engage,” he said.
“In the end, when somebody is removed from you and not in your direct employ, then there’s obviously less control you have over their behaviour.”
But Mr Anderson said that Ms Zemiro was not a journalist and she had the right to her own personal views.
“I will point out that Ms Zemiro is not a journalist, so she’s not reporting on politics at any particular point in time. She has a factual entertainment program and is espousing her own views,” he said.
He said it would be important Ms Zemiro didn’t have the ABC in her social media bio when she was voicing such views.
She also needed to make it clear they were her own personal opinions.
“People have free will on personal social media,” Mr Anderson said.
“I can’t prohibit people from using personal social media, but what I can do is make it clear about what our expectations are of their behaviour when using it and the consequences that will happen.”
Mr Anderson last year defended a decision to pay for Four Corners reporter Louise Milligan’s personal legal costs over a series of now-deleted tweets.
Federal MP Andrew Lambing sued Ms Milligan over the tweets, which included one that incorrectly stated he had admitted to taking a photo of a woman’s underwear through “upskirting”.
