Sacked journalist Mahmood Fazal drops Fair Work case against the ABC

September 10, 2026 — 10:30amMahmood Fazal has discontinued his Fair Work application against the ABC after he was sacked over launching an unauthorised podcast in late 2025.Fazal, who worked for the public broadcaster’s flagship investigative program Four Corners, was sacked in May after a lengthy leave of absence, and has since been subject to several editorial standards investigations, which resulted in much of his work being removed.Mahmood Fazal was sacked by the ABC in May.His Fair Work claim was set to be heard on Thursday, but was removed from the commission’s schedule. This came as the journalist discontinued his action, one source with knowledge of the matter, but not authorised to speak on the record, said.The ABC is expected to now release the findings of its independent ombudsman’s report into two Four Corners episodes led by Fazal in 2023 and 2024, which were removed in July after concerns over the veracity of the sources used by the journalist came into question.The ABC recently said in response to a Senate estimates question taken on notice that it would not release the findings of the ombudsman’s report as the contents of the report were relevant to Fazal’s Fair Work claim.An ABC spokesperson said: “The ABC is aware Mahmood Fazal is not pursuing his claim with the Fair Work Commission.” Fazal was approached for comment.Fazal joined the ABC in 2021 and spent three years working on Four Corners, including two as a full-time reporter. His contract was terminated after an investigation found him to be in breach of the ABC’s editorial policies, seven months after initially taking leave, which he has said was medical-related.He launched a new podcast titled Word on the Street alongside former underworld figure, turned self-styled “media cowboy” Ryan Naumenko in September. The podcast, sponsored by an online crypto casino, ended after just two episodes with the duo falling out over alleged payments for the ABC reporter’s appearances. Fazal’s external work request did not receive final sign-off, the ABC has previously said, and it is claimed he did not disclose it would involve any payment.Fazal is a former sergeant-at-arms for bikie gang The Mongols. Over the course of his time at Four Corners he produced a series of investigations into the criminal underworld, including the trafficking of drugs into Australia and the heroin trade in South-East Asia. The ABC has since removed three full Four Corners episodes led by Fazal, as well as several other pieces of content.On Wednesday, it issued a correction to another story led by Fazal for audio program Background Briefing published in 2021.The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.From our partners