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Former prime minister Tony Abbott is on track to join Fox Corporation\u2019s board of directors next month, in Lachlan Murdoch\u2019s first major move as he looks to stamp his authority as the company\u2019s sole chair.<\/p>\n
The announcement to nominate Abbott to the Fox board came one day after Lachlan Murdoch\u2019s confirmation as heir to the News and Fox empire, carrying on the Murdoch tradition of bringing notable figures from the world of politics into the family\u2019s corporate inner sanctum.<\/p>\n
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Tony Abbott will formalise his relationship with the Murdochs next month.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>SMH<\/cite><\/p>\n If the move is confirmed at Fox Corp\u2019s annual meeting in November, Abbott will join conservative US politician Paul Ryan on the board, while former US senator Kelly Ayotte and former Spanish president Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Aznar sit on the News Corp board.<\/p>\n Bush and Trump administration secretary Elaine Chao also sat on News Corp\u2019s board between stints in government.<\/p>\n Lachlan Murdoch and Abbott are close friends, their relationship dating beyond Abbott\u2019s ascent to the top of Australian politics, with Sarah Murdoch, Lachlan\u2019s wife, launching Abbott\u2019s book, Battlelines, <\/i>in 2009.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know that he\u2019s got much media experience beyond a few years in journalism,\u201d says The Australian\u2019<\/i>s longest-serving editor-in-chief, Chris Mitchell. \u201cI\u2019m not sure he\u2019d bring any particular skills to do with publishing, TV or pay TV.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell, who has known Abbott since his days at The Australian<\/i> in the 1980s, and Lachlan Murdoch \u201csince he was a boy\u201d, sees the two as a \u201cmeeting of minds\u201d.<\/p>\n Apart from his time at The Australian<\/em>, Abbott also worked at The Bulletin<\/em> before being appointed press secretary to former Liberal opposition leader John Hewson in 1990.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t have media respect,\u201d Hewson says, noting his speech writing was usually \u201cextremely right wing\u201d.<\/p>\n Despite Abbott\u2019s limited media experience, Fox\u2019s board says he has the necessary skills and experience required, as noted in its AGM proxy statement.<\/p>\n Abbott ticks seven of the 10 boxes, according to the board, and is likely to earn anywhere between $467,000 and $543,000 depending on his extra duties, a similar return to his earning power for two years as prime minister.<\/p>\n After losing his electoral seat of Warringah in 2019, Abbott was appointed as a trade adviser to the UK government in 2020.<\/p>\n The decision to install Abbott may not be based on his relevant media qualifications, says Stephen Mayne, Crikey <\/i>founder and shareholder activist, adding the Murdochs have form appointing former conservative politicians.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more than an anomaly now,\u201d Mayne says.<\/p>\n If Abbott is successful, he will replace Jacques Nasser, a former CEO of Ford and chair of BHP. Mayne says Abbott replacing \u201cRupert\u2019s most credible director\u201d, having served 22 years, is telling of the direction of Fox.<\/p>\n Paul Ryan, former US House speaker, is on the Fox board.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Aznar serves as the best comparison to Abbott, a former senior executive in Rupert Murdoch\u2019s team says. The former Spanish president\u2019s appointment in 2006 to the News Corporation board is\u00a0 \u201ca kind of pat on the back\u201d for like-mindedness, Spain\u2019s support of America in the Gulf War and \u201cdoing right by Western democracy\u201d.<\/p>\n Aznar remains on the News Corp board 17 years later.<\/p>\n Former senior adviser to John Howard Niki Savva, who profiled Abbott\u2019s leadership in a highly publicised 2016 book, now calls him a \u201cwarrior for conservative causes\u201d in Australia and overseas, referencing his \u201cpivotal role\u201d in the 1999 republic referendum, and similarly in the likely successful campaign against the Voice, to be determined on Saturday.<\/p>\n The board move confirms News and Fox are \u201calmost as much political organisations as commercial organisations\u201d, says Mayne, this sentiment hardening since Fox\u2019s exit from entertainment through the sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney in 2019.<\/p>\n An individual in Lachlan\u2019s inner circle says political thinking can be an asset on boards, noting that Ryan, a former speaker of the House and Mitt Romney\u2019s 2012 running mate, adds value in their directorial duties.<\/p>\n Long-time News Limited chair and CEO John Hartigan says, \u201che\u2019s not out of place\u201d, despite never getting the impression Abbott either had, or lacked, relevant media skills.<\/p>\n \u201cIs Tony the appropriate person? Who knows,\u201d says Hartigan, though he and Mitchell agree it is natural for a new chair to build out their own support.<\/p>\n Another factor behind Abbott\u2019s nomination could be Lachlan Murdoch\u2019s desire to shore up support in the event of the death of Rupert Murdoch, 92, who maintains considerable power through the Murdoch family trust.<\/p>\n Veteran ABC broadcaster Jon Faine, once referred to by Abbott as an \u201cequal opportunity mongrel\u201d, a badge he wears with pride, questions whether the former prime minister will look at Fox News\u2019 role in a similar light in his new role.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s great responsibility involved in these jobs, as with anyone in the media, and it will be really interesting to see which version of Tony Abbott we\u2019re going to get on this board.\u201d<\/p>\n Abbott declined to comment. Fox was approached for comment.<\/p>\n The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. <\/i><\/b>Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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