ABC to sack almost 60 roles in its archive department as digital tech takes over

The ABC has announced it will sack 58 people from its archive and research departments.

Many of the jobs are being made redundant because new technology has made them obsolete, reports The Australian.

However, the ABC says the move will create 30 new roles.

Swinging an axe: The ABC has announced it will sack 58 people from its archive and research departments. Many of the jobs are being made redundant because new technology has made them obsolete, reports The Australian. (Pictured: ABC headquarters in Ultimo, Sydney)

There is no word yet from the ABC regarding how many employees will be offered redundancy packages. 

An official statement from the public broadcaster on Wednesday stated the ABC ‘is transforming into a digital-first media organisation’.

The new technology has made content collection, management, discovery and reuse more efficient, a spokesperson said.

Transforming into digital: Archives will no longer look this one from the 1930s as the ABC ‘transforms into a digital-first media organisation’. The new technology has made content collection, management, discovery and reuse more efficient, a spokesperson said

See also  Elizabeth Banks feels 'deeper responsibility' to release Call Jane after overturning of Roe v Wade

‘We can therefore redesign the way we work to better support content makers as they serve changing audience needs,’ the ABC said. 

‘This means some roles are no longer required but also provides opportunities to develop new skills and create new and evolved roles.’

ABC archives are widely relied upon by journalists and filmmakers in Australia and overseas as a first-class source of important and often rare historical material.

The ABC’s decision to cut jobs in the archive and research departments could create unrest within the organisation, sources said.

Important: ABC archives are widely relied upon by journalists and filmmakers in Australia and overseas as a first-class source of important and often rare historical material. (Pictured: ABC Chair Ita Buttrose in Sydney on July 18, 2018)

This is because ABC journalists will no longer have a large team of researchers at their disposal when they are preparing stories.

Meanwhile, the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) and the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) issued a joint statement criticising the move.

‘The ability to find archival footage and reports which underpin everything from TV drama to news radio is deeply valued by other ABC professional staff, who do not have the professional skills to undertake this work themselves,’ they said.

Ninety per cent of the ABC’s audio collection and 35 per cent of its video tape resources are now digitised, according to the ABC website.

Content makers can now access this material via their desktops via the ABC’s Content Digital Archive (CoDA), the broadcaster said.

See also  ABC 7.30 host Leigh Sales reveals what she thinks of EVERY Australian PM for the past 40 years

Progress: Ninety per cent of the ABC’s audio collection and 35 per cent of its video tape resources are now digitised. (Pictured: a stock image of a film archive)