Over 1,000 Staff at Australian National Broadcaster Strike for Better Pay, Conditions

About 60 percent of ABC staff rejected management’s offer that included a 10-percent pay rise across three years.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) logo adorns the top of it's Melbourne headquarters, as journalist and staff strike demanding better pay and protections to stop artificial intelligence taking their jobs, in Melbourne, Australia on March 25, 2026. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Staff at the taxpayer-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have downed tools for the first time in 20 years, fighting for an improved pay offer and better working conditions.

A 24-hour strike began at 11 a.m. AEDT on March 25 as staff protested the widespread use of short-term contracts and limited career progression, along with a pay deal offering a below-inflation increase.