Andrew Greene, the ABC's defence correspondent for the past decade, has resigned after failing to disclose that a German defence company bidding for an Australian contract paid for his travel to its shipyards. The resignation follows an investigation by the ABC's Media Watch program in June, which raised potential conflict-of-interest concerns.
Media Watch revealed that Greene filed a story for ABC radio's The World Today about booming business at German shipyards without disclosing that he was a guest of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), which was hoping to win lucrative Australian navy contracts. The ABC, as a public broadcaster, generally does not accept travel paid for by subjects of reports due to potential conflicts of interest.
Staff were informed of Greene's resignation in an internal email from Canberra bureau chief David Lipson on Monday evening. The email thanked Greene for his contributions and noted the ABC's commitment to upholding editorial policies. In June, the ABC described the allegations as serious, stating that any such behaviour, if proven, would be unacceptable and could constitute misconduct.
Greene's report, aired on 11 June, stated that “across northern Germany, shipyards are at capacity as military orders ramp up.” He had not filed a story since 12 June. According to Media Watch, the ABC was unaware of Greene's travel, and he filed the story upon returning from personal leave. In contrast, journalist Matthew Knott from the Age and Sydney Morning Herald, who attended the same junket, disclosed his travel courtesy of TKMS.
This month, the Australian government confirmed that Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had won the contract to build Australia's new fleet of warships, with a $10 billion deal over a decade for three Mogami-class frigates. TKMS had been considered but was deemed second-best due to concerns about delivery timelines.
