ABC redundancy process confronting: Scott

ABC boss Mark Scott admits the public broadcaster's recent redundancy process - labelled "The Hunger Games" by staff - might have been confronting.

Appearing before a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, Mr Scott defended how the corporation went about choosing which staff to let go in the wake of budget cuts.

More than 100 staff have left already, with another 300 likely to lose their jobs.

A pooling process - which pitted staff against each other - had been mostly completed, Mr Scott said.

While dismissing as "colourful language" the term "Hunger Games" to describe the process, he conceded the ABC had lost good people for whom the organisation was a passion.

A voluntary redundancy scheme couldn't work, Mr Scott argued because there was a need to retain skills and experience.

"It may have been confronting, but we feel it was overall in the interest of the organisation," he said of the process.