General News
26 March, 2026
Why ABC Wimmera joined the strike
For the first time in 20 years, a national broadcaster is depending on reruns to maintain its on-air programming due to a nationwide strike by the majority of its staff.
ABC Wimmera staff joined the strike on Wednesday at 11 am and will remain on strike for 24 hours.
ABC Rural reporter based in Horsham, Angus Verley, said on the Rural Report on Wednesday morning, he would be joining his colleagues, Breakfast Presenter Rebekah Lowe and Reporter Tamara Clark on strike.
He said they did not want to strike, but felt they had no other choice.
"I love being a reporter at the ABC," Mr Verley said.
"I love talking with you every day about agriculture, but I don't love working in an insecure, unsustainable environment.
"In my eight years at the ABC, I have seen work conditions here gradually erode.
"Many outstanding journalists have left the organization because they were not supported, nor valued, and did not receive the pay and conditions that made it a sustainable career.
"We are constantly being asked to do more with less, and that is doing a disservice to you, our listeners, and to us.
"I won't be bringing you the rural report tomorrow morning, but I will be back in on Friday."
His fellow ABC WImmera colleagues, Ms Lowe and Ms Clark, echoed his thoughts on the breakfast show on Wednesday morning
The MEAA announced the strike action on Monday, saying the ABC staff would be taking 24-hour strike action from 11am Wednesday, March 25, in a bid to secure sustainable jobs, fair pay and improved working conditions, and to protect the quality news and programming Australians rely on.
A spokesperson for the MEAA said that after months of negotiations, workers at the ABC had been left with below‑inflation wages, ongoing job insecurity, and growing workloads.
These conditions threatened not only their livelihoods, but the quality of the news and programming Australians rely on.
They said, for that reason, the ABC staff were standing together and taking strike action.
Supporters from Rupanyup travelled to Horsham to ABC Wimmera on Wednesday to show their support for the local team.
Bobbi, Jordan, and Tam Watermann said they depended on the ABC for their information about day-to-day issues; they were concerned about the strike but supported the local staff in their actions.
"We must maintain the ABC. In a world now using so much Ai it is getting harder to access reliable information, and with the rising living costs, fuel costs, elections, and general news that impacts us all, we depend on the ABC for reliable information," they said.
Ms Watermann said she valued the loyalty of the ABC Wimmera Staff.
"They visited me at Rupanyup to do a story, and they travel all over the Wimmera reporting news," she said.
"We appreciate that local personal contact, and so do our communities.
"We are here to show our support today."
A spokesperson for the MEAA said the strike has been planned for 24 hours and staff were expected to return to work at 11am Thursday, but as a nationwide all-media strike, it meant the 7pm News, the 7.30 Report, and the Morning Show on Channel Two would be replaced by generic programming.
The spokesperson for the MEAA said the staff had several industrial options available to them, including further strikes.
The ABC and the MEAA have been contacted for comment.