Josh Keech, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) executive responsible for employee relations, resigned on April 17, 2026. His resignation followed inquiries from the media outlet On Background regarding a team-building event held on a yacht and an investigation into staff turnover within his team. The ABC has stated that it did not pay for the yacht trip.
Resignation and Sequence of Events
According to multiple reports, on April 17, 2026, On Background sent questions to Keech, ABC Chief People Officer Deena Amorelli, and an ABC spokeswoman regarding the team-building event and staff departures. Shortly after, ABC executives convened.
Keech's resignation was announced to his team at 3:30 PM, and a statement was shared with the wider people and culture department shortly after 4:00 PM. Sources reported that ABC management was already investigating the rate of staff turnover within Keech's team prior to his resignation.
Keech referred comments to the ABC. The ABC issued an internal statement confirming his departure and thanking him for his service but declined to comment further.
Context on Staff Turnover and Pay Negotiations
Keech led the ABC's employee relations team, which was responsible for pay bargaining negotiations with staff and unions. During this period, the team experienced significant turnover: six employment lawyers left between January 2025 and April 2026, leaving one counsel remaining.
The pay negotiations resulted in union members voting down the ABC's pay offer twice, leading to a 24-hour strike by staff in March 2026. The ABC and staff unions have since reached an in-principle agreement that is expected to be approved.
Related Incidents
Several reports cited three anonymous sources stating that in December 2025, during the negotiations, Keech threatened a union staffer and an ABC delegate with defamation proceedings after they referred to his conduct as "union-busting tactics."
It was also reported that in September 2025, Keech wrote to a union warning of a potential "psychosocial risk of harm" from a union campaign encouraging anonymous messages to management about work conditions.
Prior to the negotiations, several staffers stated that Keech had told colleagues he had never lost a bargaining vote in his career. The ABC subsequently lost two bargaining votes during this process.
The Team-Building Event
The resignation followed questions from On Background about a team-building day held on a private yacht on Sydney Harbour. The yacht is owned by businessman and philanthropist Tom Snow, the son of the late Canberra Airport owner Terry Snow. The ABC has stated it did not pay for the trip.