Hugh Marks refuses to confirm or deny to Senate estimates that he threatened to terminate Stevens if he didn’t resign
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The ABC has confirmed a top news executive from Reuters, Simon Robinson, has been appointed as news director of the ABC, after Guardian Australia revealed the surprise appointee on Thursday morning.
Robinson will join the ABC in September, four months after Justin Stevens resigned abruptly after four years in the role, citing personal and professional reasons.
Robinson said he grew up listening to and watching ABC News and he was delighted the role brought him home.
“As a passionate believer in the power of fact-based, independent journalism, I believe the ABC plays a pivotal role in providing Australians with the reliable reporting we all need,” Robinson said.
Stevens’ resignation on Wednesday was a shock and was effective immediately.
At Senate estimates on Thursday, the managing director of the ABC, Hugh Marks, refused to confirm or deny that he threatened to terminate Stevens if he didn’t resign.
Instead Marks revealed that he held a meeting with Stevens about a “very serious matter”.
He said he didn’t know where that information would have come from, given there were only two, possibly three, people at the meeting. “I don’t make threats, senator,” he said.
Senator Sarah Henderson asked if it was true that he had threatened to terminate Stevens if he didn’t resign.
Marks replied: “Senator, I think it’s inappropriate for me to go into the details of individual discussions with Mr Stevens, you know, about a very serious matter in this forum, but I think the outcome is Mr Stevens has resigned, and we will be in due course in [the] near future making an appointment.
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Marks also strongly suggested the changing of the guard at the top of ABC News signalled a period of change at the broadcaster.
“It is an opportunity for us to move forward and look at a refreshed and rejuvenated output as we work out what you know the future of the ABC is,” Marks said.
Marks said Stevens, who had responsibility for 2,000 journalists across the country, felt it was time to move on and he did not push back on a suggestion by senator Sarah Henderson that Stevens was “encouraged to resign”.
“Stevens felt, you know, it was the right time for him to move on and pursue other careers, and I think it’s an opportunity, obviously, for the ABC to enter into a new phase of operations, where we look to, you know, refresh and rejuvenate our output for what might be, you know, the next 20 years to make sure that we’re fit for the future,” Marks told Senate estimates.
Marks was asked twice by senators to confirm Guardian Australia’s report that Robinson had been appointed.
Marks declined to confirm or deny the appointment and denied the ABC had leaked the story to Guardian Australia.
“I assume that speculation has led to someone trying to get the jump on the announcement. So [it was] good journalism.”
On Wednesday, Marks said Stevens had made an “incredible commitment” to the ABC over 19 years, including ensuring ABC News was the No 1 digital news provider.
“I am grateful to have seen the strength of Justin’s editorial instincts and to have observed his commitment to the ABC and audiences,” Marks said. “I wish him every success in the future.”
Robinson began his career at Time Inc in Sydney as a factchecker on Who Weekly and went overseas where he forged a career with Time as a correspondent, bureau chief and editor.
He has been at Reuters for 16 years and is currently deputy to the editor in chief of the 2,600 strong newsroom.
Two sources with knowledge of the appointment told Guardian Australia Robinson had been at Ultimo recently and the ABC chair, Kim Williams, was a big fan.
It’s understood Williams knew Robinson from his time as chairman of the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company board.
Williams retired as chairman of the independent body tasked with preserving the news agency’s independence in January.
Robinson says in his biography on LinkedIn that he helps shape Reuters’ editorial vision: “I can reshape a news story or transform an organisation alike. I have been a correspondent, news editor, and investigative editor. I have years of experience as a newsroom leader and working on strategy. As the Deputy to Reuters Editor-in-Chief, I help manage a newsroom of 2,600 professionals and spearhead our digital and publishing initiatives which help shape news seen by billions of people around the world every day.”
In a farewell email to staff on Wednesday, Stevens said: “There is no more complex news organisation in the country, no more scrutinised institution, and few so laden with public expectations.
“In that context, I have sought to strengthen and defend our journalism without being blind to our stumbles; to meet the state of constant change in the digital age; and to improve our culture in News to one where we hold ourselves to the same standards as we do of others in the broader community.”
This story was updated on 28 May 2026. An earlier version of the story referred to Simon Robinson by an incorrect name.
Source: Guardian - World News
