ABC radio staff have been instructed to tackle unconscious bias about who they put on air by throwing out "old ideas and assumptions about the average Aussie" and making sure their election broadcasts contain a "healthy mix of ethnicities and accents".

The advice, in an email to staff by ABC head of radio Michael Mason, came just hours after new Managing Director Michelle Guthrie used her first official day in the job to say boosting diversity at the public broadcaster would be one of her top priorities.

Ms Guthrie's predecessor Mark Scott and said one of his regrets from his 10 years in the job was that the ABC still did not reflect the ethnic diversity of modern Australia and women were under-represented on air.

In his email, Mr Mason said ABC staff need to ask themselves questions such as: "Do we (however unconsciously) avoid using talent because they have a 'difficult' accent?"

Other questions staff were encouraged to consider as they plan their election coverage included:

• "Who are the voices we constantly hear on air? Who could we find who might be fresher or could add some different views?"
• "Do our experts include a decent balance between men and women? Do they contain a healthy mix of ethnicities and accents? Could we set ourselves a target for finding X number of new voices during this campaign?"
• "How do we make sure that we're not basing our scripts and interviews on old ideas and assumptions about the average Aussie?"; and
• "Do we sound like we know that our listeners are people of differing ages, education, affluence, religious beliefs andsexualities? Are people with disabilities being heard?"

Mr Mason told staff: "ABC Radio aims to look and sound more like Australia by 2020. To do this, we have to take every opportunity to make more diverse and inclusive content.

"Our measure of diversity is pretty simple: do the voices we're putting on air across the week reflect the broad range of people living in our communities?"

ABC Radio has formed a Diversity Action Group that aims "to have a workforce that truly represents the diversity of the Australian population" within four years.

Mr Mason directed staff to links explaining why it is important to hear people with different voices on the radio and how the poor are often excluded from the media.

In an email introducing herself to staff on Monday, Ms Guthrie said: "Australia is changing and we need to change with it.

"Shaped by my background and work experience, I passionately believe that the ABC should be relevant to all citizens.

"We must extend our reach and our relevance into areas where we are under-represented.

"That means more diversity in both our staff and our content."