Labor ministers withdraw from AFR summit due to Nine journalists’ strike

Three Labor ministers who were scheduled to appear at a summit hosted by the Australian Financial Review on Tuesday withdrew because they did not want to address the conference while Nine’s journalists were on strike.

The AFR’s government services summit was cancelled at the last minute on Monday afternoon by Nine, which had planned to hold the conference in the midst of the five-day strike by Nine Entertainment’s newspaper journalists.

Guardian Australia understands the minister for government services, Bill Shorten, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, and the new minister for employment and workplace relations, Murray Watt, were uncomfortable about crossing the picket line.

When asked to confirm whether this was true, Shorten responded “the AFR cancelled the conference”.

A spokesperson for Gallagher also said the AFR cancelled the conference.

The acting director of the media section of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Michelle Rae, said conferences such as these were a big revenue earner for Nine.

Related: Nine journalists do their block over Scott Cam’s Paris Olympics appearance as strike looms | Weekly Beast

“Nine Publishing makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from prestigious events that trade off the mastheads’ reputation for fearless, independent and quality journalism,” Rae said. “Tickets for these events cost in excess of $1,000 per head and they have become a cash cow for Nine.

“To consider continuing with the summit during the strike once again shows the company’s lack of insight into the very real concerns that journalists are taking action over.”

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Delegates were informed less than 24 hours before the event was to begin on Tuesday morning that it had been postponed.

“We regret to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control we have been forced to postpone The Australian Financial Review Government Services Summit, which was due to take place on Tuesday July 30, at the Canberra Hyatt,” a notice on the website said.

A spokesperson for Nine said the reason it had been cancelled was the ongoing industrial action by journalists.

“Despite our determination to deliver The Australian Financial Review Government Services Summit to our valued delegates and readers, the decision has been made to postpone the event due to circumstances arising from the strike,” a spokesperson told Guardian Australia. “A new date will be announced in due course.”

Nine’s managing director of publishing, Tory Maguire, was to introduce Gallagher before the finance minister delivered the keynote speech.

Journalists from the AFR – including its political editor, Phillip Coorey, and senior correspondent Aaron Patrick – were to speak on several panels.

The New South Wales Labor party conference in Sydney on the weekend lent its support to the striking Nine workers in the form of a loud cheer when the NSW arts minister, John Graham, raised the issue.

“And finally, a shout out to our striking journos at Nine, raising serious issues about not only wages but also about a rise of artificial intelligence in journalism,” Graham said. “Can you join me in recognising the seriousness of the issues they raised?” There was a loud cheer in the room.

But the former ABC chair Ita Buttrose was not supportive of the strike, calling it an “unwise decision”.

“This is a major investment for the Nine Network, the Olympics,” Buttrose told ABC Radio.

“If, as a company, you’ve made a major investment in something like the Olympics you expect everyone to toe the line, quite frankly.”

Hundreds of journalists employed by Nine Entertainment’s publishing division voted overwhelmingly to strike over pay last week, hampering the company’s initial coverage of the Paris Olympic Games.

Nine is the official broadcaster of the 2024 games, paying $100m for the broadcast rights for this year alone.

Exempt staff, including editors and foreign correspondents, produced the papers over the weekend, filling them with wire copy or previously filed pieces.

The 20-odd journalists who flew to Paris to cover the Olympics have had to sit out the first five days of the games, leaving the Europe correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, Rob Harris, to cover many of the sporting events.

Harris, along with the Age’s sports editor, Chloe Saltau, who is filing from Paris, are exempt.

Negotiations between the company and staff will continue on Wednesday.