News & Media

The ABC has apologised to Gina Rinehart for airing an offensive short film that featured a doomsday scenario in which the billionaire mining magnate would be violently assaulted, despite an internal review determining the skit was just a “hyperbolic joke”.

In a day of significant tumult at the national broadcaster, the ABC also parted ways with its high-profile head of investigations, Jo Puccini, as the growing scandal surrounding Four Corners reverberates throughout the organisation.

After having steadfastly refused to apologise to Mrs Rinehart amid a public outcry over the graphic video that was part of the ABC’s Race Around the World program on July 12, managing director Hugh Marks finally relented on Thursday.

“While the (ABC) Ombudsman has found that the film did not breach the ABC’s editorial policies, the ABC acknowledges the episode has fallen short of community expectations,” Mr Marks said. “The ABC apologises to Mrs Rinehart and to anyone else affected or upset by the publication of the film.”

The contentious short film – which the ABC initially defended as “satire” – featured one of the program’s contestants, Kate McGuinness, imagining the torture and rape of Mrs Rinehart.

“Because when the revolution comes, will you hide under your bed or will you know exactly how to shove a stick right up Gina Rinehart’s butthole, stirring it round, mixing her guts up nice and smooth, making her into one big sausage roll, to make something outta nothing,” Ms McGuinness said in the clip.

The amateur filmmaker apologised for the video last week, admitting her “jokes do not land with everyone”.

“In no way was it my intention to promote violence. My writing is cartoonish and always satirical,” Ms McGuinness said in a statement.

But while the filmmaker was willing to say sorry, the ABC itself refused to apologise until Thursday – 25 days after the program screened – despite calls to do so from politicians from both sides of the chamber, business figures and sportspeople.

Instead, the ABC asked the national broadcaster’s independent Ombudsman to review whether the short film had breached the ABC’s editorial guidelines.

On Thursday, the Ombudsman ruled that while some viewers may have found the depiction of the assault of Mrs Rinehart “confronting”, it did not alter the “overall conclusion that a reasonable audience member would be unlikely to understand the comments as a genuine endorsement, encouragement or threat of violence”.

“The ‘punch’ line of the film is a hyperbolic joke that uses an obviously absurd or impossible scenario that a reasonable audience member would not understand as a genuine encouragement or threat of violence,” Ombudsman Fiona Cameron said in her ruling.

“However, in context, the target of the satire appeared to be Mrs Rinehart’s public profile and status within contemporary political and economic debates rather than her gender. The remarks did not draw upon gender-based stereotypes, nor were they framed in terms of hostility towards women as a group.”

Mr Marks, who along with ABC chairman Kim Williams remained silent on the furore until Thursday, said the public broadcaster would be amending its editorial guidelines as they apply to the depiction of violence.

“As part of our review of this matter, we have considered whether the guidance in the ABC editorial policies adequately reflects current community expectations,” Mr Marks said.

“We have also considered whether the relevant guidance sufficiently distinguishes between news and non-news content.

“As a result, the ABC will amend its guidance as it applies to violence. The film has been edited on the ABC’s platforms to remove the relevant material.”

On the ABC Radio North Queensland late on Thursday afternoon, Mr Marks said the broadcaster’s guidelines will now demand that “no individual should be the subject of comedy that is violent in its description”.

News of Puccini’s departure came in a brief email to staff at 4.01pm, just as Mr Marks was on ABC NQ to address the Race Around The World controversy plaguing the organisation.

ABC head of regional, rural and metro news Donna Field paid tribute to Puccini’s “journalistic contribution” over more than a quarter of a century with the ABC, including “her early award-winning work at Four Corners and senior roles at Media Watch, Lateline, 7.30, the National Reporting Team and ABC Investigations”.

Puccini’s departure comes after the ABC sacked one-time bikie Mahmood Fazal as a reporter on its once-storied Four Corners program in May before removing two of the stories he had fronted for the show from all of its platforms two weeks ago amid concerns about the veracity of some of their content. After starting an investigation into all of Fazal’s work, the ABC deleted a third audio story made for Background Briefing last Friday.

“Jo has helped shape significant public interest journalism and built high performing teams, leading to numerous Walkley awards,” Field said in the email.

“We wish Jo every success in whatever comes next.”

In her role as head of investigations, Puccini had the ultimate sign-off before Fazal’s content was put to air.

In the all-staff email, Puccini said she was “proud of the journalism I’ve helped produce and the impact it’s had on helping our audience understand the issues and events that affect them”.

“It’s been an adventure and a privilege to work at the national broadcaster, an institution where I’ve made lifelong friends,” she said.

“It’s now time for a new chapter in my career.”

Fazal was sacked after being the subject of an internal investigation into his podcast appearance with a former underworld figure in 2025. An ABC spokesperson last Friday said Fazal’s three stories had been removed “following concerns identified about the veracity of sources used in the three programs”.

“The ABC Ombudsman is already conducting an independent review of whether the Four Corners programs complied with the ABC’s editorial standards,” the announcement said. “All three stories were reported by the same journalist, who ceased employment with the ABC in May 2026.”

The ABC said it was in an ongoing process to review other content produced by Fazal to “ensure it meets the ABC’s editorial standards”.