ABC defence correspondent resigns after alleged secret warship junket
By Calum Jaspan
The ABC’s defence correspondent Andrew Greene has resigned, ending a 10-week standoff between him and the public broadcaster after allegations he had accepted a paid work trip to Germany and failed to disclose it.
Greene reported for the ABC’s The World Today about German shipyards and manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems earlier this year, before Media Watch revealed the journalist had travelled as a guest of the company, at the time telling his bosses he was on annual leave. His story did not say he was a paid guest of the German company.
Andrew Greene has resigned from his role as defence correspondent for the ABC.Credit: ABC
After spending more than two months on leave while the ABC investigated the allegations and deliberated over its decision, he resigned on Monday.
At the time of his trip, ThyssenKrupp Marine was competing against the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to win a major contract to build the next fleet of Australian warships.
“Across northern Germany, shipyards are at capacity as military orders ramp up. Rising global strategic tensions mean business is booming,” Greene reported.
Other media, including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, travelled on the same press junket and disclosed the travel arrangements to readers at the time.
Greene’s reporting followed extensive coverage of the race to supply Australia’s warships, having disclosed a trip to Tokyo in December at the expense of the Foreign Press Centre Japan.
He did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publishing.
The broadcaster’s Canberra staff were informed of Greene’s decision on Monday in an email from bureau chief David Lipson.
“The ABC maintains the importance of upholding its editorial and other policies,” Lipson said in his email.
In June, the ABC said the allegations raised by Media Watch were serious, and that if proven, the behaviour would be “unacceptable and could constitute misconduct”.
Media Watch estimated the round trip to Germany on a business-class return ticket was worth around $16,000, which also included hotel stays in the cities of Hamburg and Kiel, paid for by the German company.
An ABC spokesperson confirmed Greene’s resignation on Tuesday morning.
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