SYDNEY – You can't make this stuff up. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), that bastion of progressive thought and responsible spending, has parted ways with Mahmood Fazal, their Four Corners reporter who used to be a sergeant-at-arms for the Mongols bikie gang. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out, Fazal hopped on a podcast sponsored by an online casino. An online casino. I'm old enough to remember when 'conflict of interest' was a thing that mattered. But hey, at least he wasn't selling OxyContin, right? Small victories, people.

ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks told some senators that Fazal's employment was 'terminated' after an 'investigation.' Translation: Someone finally realized the optics of a former bikie shilling for a casino ain't great, even by ABC standards. Marks claimed the probe wasn't about Fazal's outlaw past, but the casino link. Uh huh. Sure, Jan.

Remember when the ABC hired this guy in the first place? The official line was he'd provide 'deeper insights' into the criminal underworld. Because, you know, who better to report on crime than someone who used to be the crime? It's like hiring a pyromaniac to be a fire safety inspector. Genius.

Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson dared to suggest Four Corners might have 'failed to uphold the ABC’s standards' by employing Fazal. Marks, bless his heart, actually defended the hire, saying people are 'able to move on in their careers.' Translation: Woke points, gotta collect 'em all!

Marks also mumbled something about 'good stories' being produced and 'issues' arising. The good stories probably included puff pieces on gender-neutral bathrooms and why your avocado toast is actually a form of systemic oppression. The 'issues' apparently involved ethics, common sense, and the general perception that the ABC is a taxpayer-funded propaganda arm for the Greens party.

Let's not forget the ABC's recent kerfuffle over Antoinette Lattouf's unlawful termination. Marks himself admitted they're being extra careful now, which explains the lengthy 'investigation' into Bikie Casino-Gate. Can't have another court case, even if it means employing a guy who makes Tony Soprano look like Mother Teresa.

Fazal's lawyer claims he thought his manager approved the podcast. Maybe he did. Maybe the manager was too busy attending a mandatory diversity training seminar to notice. Who knows? All we know is that another ABC experiment has gone belly up, and we, the taxpayers, get to foot the bill. Again.