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Following a dedicated grassroots campaign, the ABC has resigned its membership from ACON’s Pride in Diversity program, reversing a controversial partnership. The victory highlights the power of public action in promoting editorial independence and accountability at Australia’s national broadcaster.

Flicking through X (formerly Twitter) on the morning of 8 April, 2026, I saw a post from a friend that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) had resigned its membership of ACON’s Pride in Diversity Program. I thought this must have been a joke.

The ABC-ACON divorce is something I’ve been working on since early 2025. The Daily Declaration senior editor Kurt Mahlburg had also been relentless in the push for an ABC-ACON split.

Among other things, Pride in Diversity is a LGBTQA advocacy scheme that research proved influenced news reporting and ABC content. ABC Queer was a transgender initiative with specific content for under 18s… a Christian parent’s nightmare.

The research took months, the petitions were tedious, the back and forth with the ABC Board was a drain and the email campaign coordination was extensive.

Communication Minister Anika Wells had another five weeks to respond to the petition I launched in October 2025. I didn’t expect an outcome until late May. 

My direct communication with ABC Board Chairman Kim Williams had finished with … “A common landing may prove to be elusive in this territory.” I wasn’t feeling confident.

As a late April Fool’s Day joke, this news about ACON was poor humour.

Before sending a witty response about the definition of a joke to my friend on X, I checked my news feed. And there it was. It was true.

The ABC had split from ACON. We’d done it.

Who is responsible?

I say “we” as many individuals and groups worked with the same aim. None of us can claim central boasting rights, but all of us can feel extremely good!

Kit Kowalski, Stassja Frei, Kurt Mahlburg, Nerissa Scott, Nicole Phillips, Tess Hackett, WomensCooee.org, the Women’s Advocacy Network, The Women’s Media Network, Paul Barry, Women Speak Tasmania, Senator Clair Chandler, John Ruddick, Jillian Spencer, all the TERFs, Angie Jones, Edie Wyatt, Women’s Forum Australia, Celine Baumgarten, and Kirralie Smith were all involved.

This is an incomplete list for sure, and I apologise for any individual or group I’ve forgotten. Yes, there were others desperately wanting the ABC/ACON split and most Australians would have been horrified had they known about the relationship.

Many readers of The Daily Declaration urged the government to guide the ABC/ACON divorce after my article here in August 2025. Signatories of the Declaration of Biological Truth sent hundreds, if not thousands of emails supporting the petitions. Thank you everyone. 

But what of Mainstream Journalists?

As far mainstream journalists go, the Australian’s Stephen Rice and Rachel Baxendale joined the battle in December 2025. Sky News then jumped aboard and interviewed its favourites.

All good stuff.

However, neither The Australian nor Sky News can claim hero status. Those journalists are simply doing the job they are paid to do. The story should have been in all Australian media for years. 

It wasn’t a talkfest that forced the change, but grassroots action.

Your action.   

All the names mentioned before worked hard on this with no payment and for years before The Oz or Sky jumped on the story. 

Special mention to …

Kit Kowalski deserves much credit for launching ACON Exposed back in early 2022. Paul Barry, formerly of Media Watch, was the first to disclose the problem (in mainstream media) in October 2022. For him, stating truth was more important than keeping his ABC job. Good on you, Paul.

Stassja Frei then flagged this unholy alliance in her Desexing Society podcast of June 2025. 

In July 2025, Kurt Mahlburg’s piece in The Daily Declaration made the case clear and informed readers about the ABC/ACON alliance when others would not.

The Philtered Mini 12-minute episode from November 2025 was created for busy politicians who don’t have time for a one-hour listen. It was released to accompany the research, petitions, ABC Board discussions and email campaigns.  

Talk is talk, yet this result shows that public action with a specific aim in mind can get results. 

As 1 John 3:18 states,

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Action works. Thank you everyone.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.