The ABC is facing a backlash from opposition leader Bill Shorten, MPs and journalists after it reportedly stood down one of its presenters following an on-air TV blooper.
Natasha Exelby was presenting late-night rolling coverage on ABC News 24 just after 10pm on Saturday when she appeared to be caught daydreaming as a story package ended.
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Newsreader caught out daydreaming on air
ABC news presenter Natasha Exelby has become the news after a candid moment between segments was broadcast to the nation.
She stared at her pen for several seconds before gasping, jumping in surprise and introducing the sport section of the broadcast.
A 12-second clip of the incident was highlighted by the ABC's Media Watch, which went viral on social media.
Exelby managed to recover from the blooper, responding promptly when the next package ended and continuing to anchor the coverage until past midnight. She later took the incident in good humour, writing on Twitter to thank everyone for their support.
"Not my finest hour. Myself and my mesmerising pen honourably salute you!" she said.
Thank U all for ur generous support. Not my finest hour. Myself and my mesmerising pen honourably salute you!
— Natasha Exelby (@NatashaExelby) April 10, 2017
However, her network reportedly did not find it as funny.
On Monday, News Corp reported Exelby has been banned from future on-air roles on News 24 - which was recently rebranded to "ABC news on television" - following the incident.
An ABC spokeswoman would not be drawn on whether action had been taken against Exelby.
She told Fairfax Media: "Natasha Exelby is a casual contributor, not a staff member. She has been booked for occasional on-air shifts when needed, and also does other occasional shifts for the ABC News channel."
Reports of Exelby being reprimanded were met with a backlash, with dozens of journalists and some politicians taking to social media to defend her.
A petition on Change.org is calling for the experienced presenter to be reinstated.
Labor leader Bill Shorten linked to the story on Twitter and wrote: "It's live TV. This is just ridiculous."
It's live TV. This is just ridiculous.https://t.co/xy6dp7nKwi
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) April 10, 2017
Senator Sam Dastyari, also a Labor politician, leapt to the newsreader's defence and threatened to raise the issue in Senate Estimates, where ABC management are held to account by parliamentarians.
"This poor TV newsreader had suffered enough. I can only imagine how much she is copping from her friends. Give her a break," he told Fairfax Media.
"The idea that someone would be punished for what is a very innocent mishap is extraordinary."
The senator said mistakes like Exelby's should be expected in 24-hour live television and were generally "more funny and embarrassing than serious".
He said the incident raised questions about the ABC's work culture.
"If she is going to be punished for such a minor, humorous and innocent error - I think bigger questions need to be asked about the culture of the ABC."
He urged the broadcaster to see the funny side and promote, not punish, its "online star".