A HOST of prominent women have labelled the ABC’s move to boot male television and radio hosts off air tomorrow for International Women’s Day as “tokenism”.

Sky host Peta Credlin, who permanently co-hosts an all female show with former NSW premier Kristina Keneally, questioned why the ABC did not promote women the rest of the year.

‘Token gesture’.... Sky political commentator Peta Credlin.

“This is nothing more than a token gesture by the ultimate organisation of tokenism, the ABC,” she said

“Where’s their commitment to women over the other 364 days of the year? Surely we want the best in the media all day every day, be it men or women.”

Sky News political reporter Laura Jayes agreed it was tokenism: “The ABC should do something more permanent if they really believe in it, it shouldn’t be a token one-day event.”

Sky News political reporter Laura Jayes agreed move was tokenism.

In a move that’s set to be seen as deeply patronising to its female workforce, the ABC will kick all of its male television and radio hosts off air tomorrow and replace them with women in a bizarre attempt to promote gender equality to mark International Women’s Day.

High-profile presenters of ABC’s television, radio and digital platforms including the host of PM, Mark Colvin, radio host Richard Fidler and News Breakfast television co-host Michael Rowland will all be replaced by fill-in women, with the content centred around High-profile presenters of ABC’s television, radio and digital platforms including the host of PM, Mark Colvin, radio host Richard Fidler and News Breakfast television co-host Michael Rowland will all be replaced by fill-in women, with the content centred around equality of the sexes

ABC’s radio show Conversations with Richard Fidler will be off air Banned: The host of ABC’s Drive radio show Richard Glover. Picture: Marco Del Grande

The national broadcaster, which pockets more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds annually to bring Australians allegedly objective news, will spend the day The national broadcaster, which pockets more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds annually to bring Australians allegedly objective news, will spend the day promoting gender equality to mark International Women’s Day.

But the move has left many asking: Why does the ABC only promote its ­female leaders one day of the year?

ABC PM host Mark Colvin will be required to perform other tasks tomorrow.

Even worse: Why is the national broadcaster patronising women so badly by suggesting that men need to be banned before they can get a prominent hosting gig.

Labor MP Anne Aly questioned why women weren’t already in many of the ABC’s top radio and television jobs.

“It’s a bit tokenistic to me. Gender equality is more than just that,” she said.

Off air: ABC News 24 presenter Jeremy Fernandez. Off air: News Breakfast television co-host Michael Rowland

An ABC spokesman said the male hosts were required to turn up for work but would complete “other tasks”.

An official ABC statement said that tomorrow “special content through the day explores the need for change and gender equality”.

“Commencing at 6am with ABC News Breakfast, an all-female line-up will lead the major radio and TV news bulletins and current affairs programs and present across the day on Newsradio and News 24,” it said.

Labor Member for Cowan Anne Aly described ABC’s move as “tokenistic”. Picture: AAP

Former ABC chairman Maurice Newman also said the move was “tokenism” and criticised the broadcaster for “getting further and further into victimhood and division”.

ABC radio host Tom Switzer said presenters should not be given jobs because of their gender.

“Journalists should be judged on their merits rather than their sex,” he said.

TRIPLE J TO PLAY FEMALE ONLY ARTISTS

The triple J youth radio network is also black balling men for International Women’s Day – vowing to stick to an all-female line-up of presenters and singers from dawn to dusk.

The ABC network says the criteria for promoting female musicians was that the front person in a band was female, or a “key musician”, or a female producer.

“This includes trans women as well,” a spokesman said.

“It will also include all programmers.” It applies to all three networks, including triple j, triple j Unearthed and Double J.

The ban on men ends at midnight tomorrow.