7:30 grills Justin Milne

ABC 7:30 host Leigh Sales grilled former ABC Chairman Justin Milne tonight over events that have embroiled the broadcaster.

He announced his resignation to Sales in the interview, recorded at 11am.

Milne said the ABC Board met earlier in the morning to recommend he step aside during a govt. investigation.

“I said, ‘Well, I think actually I should resign’ because there is clearly a lot of pressure on the organisation and, as always, my interests, my aim, has been to look after the interests of the Corporation,” he told her.

“And it’s clearly not a good thing for everyone to be trying to do their job with this kind of firestorm going on so I wanted to provide a release valve.”

Milne told Sales his resignation was not an admission that he had failed to protect the ABC’s independence.

“Absolutely 100 per cent not. In fact I feel that the interests of the ABC have always been uppermost in my mind,” he said.

“There was absolutely no interference in the independence of the ABC by the Government.

“Nobody from the Government has ever rung me and told me what to do in relation to the ABC.”

Milne did not deny sending an email to Michelle Guthrie raising concerns over Emma Alberici or Andrew Probyn.

“When there is an issue of editorial independence and accuracy it’s appropriate for the chair to be involved — it’s the chair’s job,” he said.

“[But] I have never sent an email to Michelle Guthrie or anybody else, which says you must sack Emma Alberici or Andrew Probyn or anybody else.”

He also refused to enter into details about why Michelle Guthrie’s leadership was not suitable citing legal reasons and to avoid further criticism of her.

Updated.