ABC finally apologises to Gina Rinehart after airing disgusting joke about her that even Leigh Sales described as nasty

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:51, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 04:57, 6 August 2026 ABC's managing director Hugh Marks has apologised to Gina Rinehart ABC's after it aired an on-air attack on her that was so disturbing even one of the broadcaster's own presenters called it 'nasty'. The ABC sparked outrage after broadcasting a Kate McGuinness film attacking Gina Rinehart during Race Around the World filmmaking competition on July 12.  The competition series follows six aspiring Australian filmmakers who travel the world to complete 10 short films in 10 countries within 100 days.  McGuinness' four-minute entry, entitled A Very Relaxing Video took a dramatic turn towards the end when McGuinness launched into a foul attack on Mrs Rinehart. The outburst is too disturbing to publish but went into detail about graphically assaulting the mining magnate with a stick to 'make one big sausage roll'. Guest panellist Leigh Sales was the only one of the show's three judges to push back against the remarks, saying they were 'nasty', but also said she 'really liked' the film.  The ABC initially defended the film, saying it was 'intended to be satirical in tone and considered to be editorially justifiable within the context of the program'. The ABC has apologised to Gina Rinehart (pictured) after a filmmaker launched an on-air attack on her on the network  But more than four weeks after the episode aired, the ABC finally issued an apology just days after Mrs Rinehart threatened legal action. 'The ABC refers to the film in a recent episode of Race Around the World referencing Mrs Gina Rinehart AO,' ABC managing director Hugh Marks said in a statement.  'While the Ombudsman has found that the film did not breach the ABC's editorial policies, the ABC acknowledges the episode has fallen short of community expectations. 'The ABC apologises to Mrs Rinehart and to anyone else affected or upset by the publication of the film. 'As part of our review of this matter, we have considered whether the guidance in the ABC Editorial Policies adequately reflects current community expectations. 'We have also considered whether the relevant guidance sufficiently distinguishes between news and non-news content. 'As a result, the ABC will amend its guidance as it applies to violence. 'The film has been edited on the ABC's platforms to remove the relevant material.'