ABC chairman is forced to stand down after secret emails accuse him of plotting to sack a journalist

ABC staff have called on embattled chairman Justin Milne to step down after leaked emails suggested he wanted a journalist sacked. 

Workers passed a unanimous motion calling on Milne to stand down while investigations examined allegations he sought to have ABC presenter Emma Alberici fired.

Staff called on an independent inquiry into the allegations on Wednesday, saying: ‘the idea behind the investigation is to secure the editorial independence of the ABC from top to bottom,’ at a meeting coordinated by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, according to The Guardian.

Media Watch host Paul Barry weighed in on the drama, responding to a Tweet suggesting Michelle Guthrie was intending to sue ABC for defamation, writing: ‘Uglier and Uglier. What a mess.’

Milne responded to allegations he emailed Ms Guthrie in May, who was sacked as managing director on Monday, saying the Coalition Government hated Alberici.

In a statement released Wednesday morning he wrote, ‘The job of the ABC Board is to independently govern the Corporation, protect its best interests, ensure that it is well funded, well managed and that our content is of the highest standards. 

‘That is precisely what the Board has done and will continue to do. I do not propose to provide a running commentary on day to day issues which arise in pursuit of our duties.’

In an email leaked to Fairfax, Milne reportedly wrote: ‘I think it’s simple. Get rid of her. We need to save the ABC — not Emma. There is no guarantee they [the Coalition] will lose the next election’.

ABC political commentator Barrie Cassidy also took to Twitter Wednesday to express his opinions, writing: ‘Justin Milne’s exposed rationale behind its stance on a govt complaint goes to the heart of the ABCs independence. And he’s the chairman!’.