In October last year ABC Managing Director Mark Scott was briefed by ABC staff on the issues he'd likely face in an appearance before the Senate Estimates Committee.

The ABC prepared Mr Scott to deal with criticisms of its reporting on Ms Gillard's role in The AWU Scandal.   At the same time, the ABC had been vigourously pursuing Opposition Leader Tony Abbott after David Marr wrote an essay about him.  That essay included an allegation made by Barbra Ramjan that Tony Abbott had punched a wall on either side of her face in 1977.

The ABC's strategy was to conflate the AWU and wall punch issues.   Here are the first few paragraphs from the briefing notes to MD Mark Scott.

First up to the Tony Abbott matter. In September last year, David Marr's essay Tony Abbott, Political Animal was published in The Quarterly.

Marr reported Barbra Ramjan's first-hand recollection of Tony Abbott getting uncomfortably close to her while she was against a wall and then punching the wall on either side of her face.  The incident was reported as having happened in 1977.

This is Barbra Ramjan now.

Ms Ramjan is married to Greg James QC (left below).

Greg James QC is currently representing Craig Thomson.

The ABC found one person to provide more first-hand information about Ms Ramjan's statement that Tony Abbott had punched the wall, former Labor candidate for the seat of Wentworth against Malcolm Turnbull, David Patch.

Mr Patch said, "'I did not see the incident, but I was nearby. The count had just finished. Barbara found me. She is a small woman, and Tony Abbott was (and is) a strong man. She was very shaken, scared and angry. She told me that Tony Abbott had come up to her, put his face in her face, and punched the wall on either side of her head."

If Mr Patch's comment has sufficient probative value to substantiate a newsworthy allegation of substance against Tony Abbott, I'll push a peanut with my nose from here to 1/85 Kerr Street Fitzroy.   Nude*.

On the strength of witness statements taken from the class of people known as the "I did not see the incident, but I was nearby" group, evidence could be adduced in another matter like, "she was up for it with anyone Bill Ludwig said was going to be PM, I never saw no money change hands but I know she probly dunnit.  I only say probly cause I heard it from the bloke at the fruit shop and he knows this bloke who knows for sure."

This is the High Court ABC news website where important statements about the best allegations they could muster against Tony Abbott are propounded.

David Marr just knows, right.  He just knows.

So that's it.

The ABC says that the wall punch is the same as the Gillard AWU matter and one counterweights the other and just move on please.

These briefing notes were funded by the taxpayer for the MD of the ABC's appearance at Senate Estimates last year.

* not a guarantee.