The ABC’s former chairman Justin Milne considered paying Kylie Minogue $750,000 to feature in an ad campaign launched by the broadcaster in earl 2018.
Created by the broadcaster’s in-house agency ABC Made in partnership with Thinkberbell, #ABCYours was launched in February and featured Australian celebrities including Guy Pearce and Rove McManus.
According to The Guardian, when former managing director Michelle Guthrie saw Milne’s proposal to bring on Minogue as an ambassador for the campaign at the fee of $750,00, Guthrie was furious.
However, the ABC has now said the figure was not only for Minogue but an estimate of the overall cost of production.
In a statement from the ABC provided to B&T, a spokesperson said: “In any creative process all sorts of ideas are tossed around.
“The $750,000 figure which has been reported today was not a fee but a preliminary estimate of production costs for a potential project which never went ahead.
“At no point did the ABC discuss any payment with Ms Minogue.”
Meanwhile, Thinkerbell founder Adam Ferrier said: “We’ve worked with the ABC on a few projects.
“Kylie is a much-loved Australian and, apart from any associated costs, would be a great ambassador for the ABC.”
“I can’t confirm if we recommended Kylie or not. All I can say is that she’s a much-loved Australian and would be a great ambassador for ABC
It has also been reported the ABC considered approaching both Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman.
The news comes less than a fortnight after both Guthrie and Milne left the broadcaster.
In the wake of their departures, there has been heavy speculation a rift between the two had been building.
Rumours of an internal quarrel hit fever pitch when Guthrie was dumped as managing director having reportedly disagreed with Milne’s decision to get rid of ABC journalist Emma Alberici following a push from the government.
