Guardian editor Lenore Taylor’s resignation upended a ‘royal’ visit from editor in chief Katharine Viner
In this week’s Backdrop, Sharri Markson dances to her tune on One Nation, polls forget SBS, numbers behind gambling advertising reform and Guardian Australia royal visit.
A very royal visit Guard
Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor’s decision to resign this week after almost 10 years on the job came as no shock. But it was definitely his timing.
Will it be announced at 17.30 on Tuesday? Leaving work the next day? So are staff hearing the news via email (or a story from this imprint) instead of hearing it directly from Taylor herself?
It all smelled a little funny, or at least far from perfect coordination between the local operation and the British media group’s mothership. The staff was stunned by what was going on and now the rumors were kicking into overdrive.
Apparently editor-in-chief Katharine Viner, who flew from former Blighty to bid Taylor a tearful farewell at her Sydney office on Wednesday afternoon, was not expected to arrive until next week for what is known internally as one of the “royal visits”.
When Taylor’s resignation came, it was rushed forward.
Due to the changed schedule and sudden departure, some staff members are asking if Taylor jumped before being pushed. But there was nothing but goodwill in public opinion this week; While Taylor said he was at peace with the decision, Viner praised his leadership.
“It’s time to pass the baton and I have a great team so they have options too [for my successor]Taylor said, looking relieved Tuesday.
Viner brought in David Munk, one of his senior staffers, to steady the ship as acting editor. The third out of four will be British Guardian Australia editors.
But Munk, who has previously served as deputy editor of the Australian operations, seems to be well-liked.
If he was interested, there would be a good chance to get the job permanently. Although it’s still early days, local deputy editor Gabrielle Jackson and national news editor Jo Tovey are emerging as leading candidates.
No luck at 8pm
One Nation and Sky are enjoying a romance that will rival the far-right party’s rise in the polls. But its fearless leader, Pauline Hanson, can’t make it past the 8pm prime time slot hosted by Sharri Markson, host of the show of the same name.
Hanson has found time to appear on the network’s midweek opinion show a staggering 22 times since the beginning of October, according to a spreadsheet of daily briefing emails the network sends. This marks the first time One Nation has broken double digits in various polls. But Hanson only Sharri once, it was the day she entered the Senate wearing a burqa (again)! In fact, this was the only time Markson hosted anyone from One Nation in the last three months.
During this time, both sides of him are shown. Bolt Report at 7 p.m. and Paul Murray LiveOne Nation hosted guests 21 and 25 times. These include Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby, who has apparently come to the fore, new recruit Barnaby Joyce and Hanson’s daughter and former Tasmanian Senate candidate Lee Hanson. By contrast, embattled Opposition Leader Sussan Ley (at the time of writing) was barely featured on the channel.
It’s not groundbreaking that One Nation, undoubtedly the party’s favorite broadcaster, is getting so much airtime. But it is notable that Markson is more or less alone in not falling behind One Nation in its stellar line-up, as its historical ally the Liberal Party disintegrates.
You can’t blame Joyce for not appearing on Markson’s show, considering she at least won a Walkley in 2018. Joyce Package The scoop revealed that the former employee has a child with his current wife, Vikki Campion. Yet Barnaby has a standing invitation Bolt Report Every Thursday, Hanson is a weekly guest on Chris Kenny’s show.
Markson and One Nation have been contacted for comment.
Is anyone watching?
After a long day of haranguing the ABC in the Senate predictions, Liberal senator Sarah Henderson clearly needed a KitKat.
Just before SBS executives were released from the virtual hearing, Henderson asked those in attendance: “May I know why the chief executive is not coming this evening?”
Acting boss Jane Palfreyman responded: “Senator, I am the chief executive, currently the acting chief executive. Our previous chief executive, James Taylor, left late last year.”
“I didn’t realize that,” Henderson said after a long, awkward conversation about whether Palfreyman had applied for the top position full-time.
Not only did Taylor leave last year, but his LinkedIn profile shows he has been running ASX-listed outdoor media company oOh!media since December. Palfreyman has been the boss since August 29.
While you might be expecting a member of the Senate committee on communications who leads one of two public media outlets, Henderson could be forgiven for his mistake.
It’s been six months since Taylor announced her departure, and we still don’t know much about who will take her job. This is partly because the appointment was made by the board and comes seven months after chairman George Savvides left SBS. Savvides served a maximum of two terms on the board, so leaving was not in the government’s best interests!
The lucky one is forced to wonder what’s keeping him in the Backroom when Communications Minister Anika Wells is tasked with choosing the seat.
Henderson was approached for comment, but Wells’ office had no updates on the hiring process.
171 million reasons against gambling advertising reform
By staying in the capital, we got some insight into what it would take for Wells to get out of the witness protection program over the summer. He addressed a star-studded crowd at a Foxtel lobby event in Parliament House this week.
Wells had gone into deep hibernation over the summer, resisting the temptation to get free tickets to the Ashes and Australian Open, after the travel expense saga overshadowed the government’s social media ban on teenagers in December.
The purpose of Monday’s event? Foxtel tells the country’s politicians how much it spends on local industry and argues its business is over-regulated. The company, now owned by British-American billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik, has brought in a number of sports stars as well as big guns such as AFL and NRL bosses Andrew Dillon and Andrew Abdo. And it goes without saying that it, like other media companies including Nine, which owns this imprint, is a huge beneficiary of gambling advertising.
The next morning, with good timing, public officials in Wells’ department came forward with their Senate estimates, revealing that zero in total drafts of new legislation had been drafted by him or his predecessor to crack down on gambling advertising.
“In terms of gambling advertising, was there no draft legislation or legislative direction passed or signed by the previous minister?” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young asked Deputy Communications Secretary Margaret Lopez this question.
“No, Senator. It hadn’t progressed that far,” Lopez responded.
It’s approaching three years since the late Labor MP Peta Murphy published a report recommending a phased-in ban on gambling companies’ advertising altogether.
Since then, despite some self-regulation, there has been plenty of cash floating around. New data from analytics firm Nielsen this week showed that the gambling industry will spend $171 million on advertising its brands across all media platforms through 2025.
That’s only a small decrease from the $187.75 million spent in 2024 and an even larger decrease from the $239 million Murphy’s spent in 2023. The report has been published.
But $171 million is still more than a significant amount, given evidence that 72 per cent of Australians want ads removed, according to 2024 research from polling firm Redbridge Group.
Last week, data from the Australian Electoral Commission showed that total donations to Labor by Sportsbet, Tabcorp and Responsible Wagering Australia (lobbyists for Bet365, PointsBet, Sportsbet, Picklebet and others) in the 2025 financial year alone totaled $166,500.
A spokesman said the government continues to work to address the harms of online gambling.
Any chance of gambling advertising reform returning to the menu this year? We will not accept this bet.
Calum Jaspan is a media writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Melbourne. Reach him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect with: X or email.
