In a statement issued at the conclusion of the Jacintha Saldanha inquest, Southern Cross Austereo took full responsibility for the brodcast of the tragic royal prank call. 

It acknowledged that the announcers involved were not the final decision makers about whether the call went to air.

The company pointed out that the Coroner said SCA fully co-operated with the Coronial Inquest and commented: “There is no causation as a matter of law between the hoax call and any subsequent voluntary action by Ms Saldanha.”

The full statement reads:

Southern Cross Austereo, its directors, management and staff were saddened by and deeply sorry about the tragic death of Ms Jacintha Saldanha on 8 December 2012. Today, we again publicly convey our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to Ms Saldanha’s family for their loss.

 

Southern Cross Austereo has made a donation of £289,000 (AUD$500,000) to a trust fund for the benefit of Ms Saldanha’s family. We do not assume, of course, that this donation or any amount of money could relieve the feelings of loss felt by Ms Saldanha’s family but it is our hope that it may help them in the future.

The production of radio programs, like television programs, is a collaborative process. Radio announcers are an important part of the process but they are not the final decision makers. There is no fair or reasonable basis on which blame can be apportioned to any individual, including the presenters of the program. Southern Cross Austereo has always accepted full responsibility for the making of the call and its broadcast.

As acknowledged by the Coroner, Southern Cross Austereo has fully co-operated with the Coronial Inquest. We also note that the Coroner has said, “There is no causation as a matter of law between the hoax call and any subsequent voluntary action by Ms Saldanha.”

In summation, the Coroner said the incident was not reasonably foreseeable.

Southern Cross Austereo will not be making any further comment on this issue.