ABC News Breakfast said goodbye to presenter Tony Armstrong on Friday morning, when the popular TV presenter said goodbye after three years.
The TV star – widely regarded as the golden boy of public broadcasting – announced last week that he is stepping down from his role after three years.
Following his announcement, Media Watch presenter Janine Perrett revealed that he had done voiceovers for an insurance company while working on the ABC programme.
During his last show, Armstrong broke his silence and said his time at the ABC had been a “whirlwind” before admitting it had been a “funny old week”.
‘Mixed feelings. You can see it in my body language: I don’t like to talk about myself, even though I have a career where I’m in front of a camera,” he said.
“It’s been such a whirlwind three years. Believe it or not, I was nervous when I started.”
‘It didn’t take long. But hey, that wasn’t that long ago. And yes, News Breakfast basically gave me everything. It’s given me… It’s given me a joy ride!’
Armstrong also said, “I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now to be able to leave on my own terms, and into whatever comes next.”
ABC News Breakfast said goodbye to host Tony Armstrong on Friday morning, as the popular TV host resigned after three years
‘I don’t know exactly what it is yet… I’m very grateful to everyone watching and everyone who has said such nice things to me over the course of this week.
‘It’s been a funny old week. But yes, people have been very nice to me.’
Armstrong ended by saying he was going to miss his “News Breakfast family.”
Armstrong was called out by the ABC earlier this week on the network’s Media Watch programme, during which he revealed he was doing voiceovers for an insurance company while working on the News Breakfast programme.
Media critic Perrett revealed on Monday that Armstrong, 34, has been the voice of NRMA Insurance advertising since July.
Perrett, Media Watch’s stand-in presenter, said it was ‘astonishing’ that Armstrong had failed to gain approval from the broadcaster before landing the new gig.
Speaking on his last show, Armstrong said his time at the ABC had been a “whirlwind” before admitting it had been a “funny old week”.
“It’s a shame that this undeclared work comes at the expense of the integrity of the ABC, which we talk about in its final week on News Breakfast,” Perrett said.
“Tony is arguably one of ABC’s biggest stars,” she added.
‘Not only is he on the breakfast couch watching TV, he can also be seen in a new sports show in the evening. He is one of many featured in ABC News promos and is the face of a new five-part series.
“So we were stunned when we got confirmation that Tony was also selling an insurance company.”
The ABC’s editorial policy states that any outside work by a high-profile presenter is not prohibited but is considered ‘very high risk’.
The ABC told Media Watch that his voiceover work was done without his knowledge and was due to a ‘misunderstanding with Tony’s external representation’.
Armstrong was called out by the ABC on Monday on the network’s Media Watch programme, during which he revealed he did voiceovers for an insurance company while working on the News Breakfast programme.
‘They have been provided with a copy of the external working guidelines and have been reminded that all ABC employees must comply with these. Tony is a highly valued employee and has the full support of the ABC,” the broadcaster said.
A bewildered Perrett replied: “A misunderstanding?”
“How an ABC reporter can cover a commercial for one of Australia’s biggest brands and not think this is a conflict is beyond us.
“If this isn’t a violation of the remote work guidelines, which state that you must seek approval from the top, we don’t know what is.”
Media Watch said Armstrong did not respond to its request for comment.