The performance of former ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie was not discussed with the broadcaster's senior leadership team before the board took the "extraordinary" step of firing her.
Acting managing director David Anderson has made the admission while being grilled by senators at a hearing in Canberra.
He said Ms Guthrie's termination last month took him aback.
"To be honest, it was extraordinary, and yes I was surprised," he told a Senate committee on Tuesday.
Mr Anderson, who was the ABC's Entertainment and Specialist Director before he started acting in the top job, said Ms Guthrie's performance was not discussed with him ahead of her firing and nor did he raise it.
But in an interesting twist, he did have a discussion with Ms Guthrie in which the potential of him taking a redundancy was raised.
"Redundancy did come up in the conversation a few months back," he said.
Ms Guthrie was shown the door on September 24, with the ABC board saying her ongoing leadership was not in the broadcaster's best interests.
That came three days after she handed the board an 11-page dossier containing references to email and phone exchanges between her and former chair Justin Milne, in which she has alleged he pressured her to fire two journalists.
Mr Milne was forced to resign days after Ms Guthrie's departure, after excerpts from the dossier were reported by the media.
The management of the ABC has since been reassuring reporters at the broadcaster that it has their backs, Mr Anderson said.
But he said the fact that the two journalists mentioned in the exchanges between Ms Guthrie and Mr Milne - Emma Alberici and Andrew Probyn - were still in their jobs is a testament to the ABC's independence.
"Our editorial independence is intact. We continue to operate that way."
Mr Anderson also told the senators that he did not hand over the dossier Ms Guthrie handed to the board as it had been provided in confidence and due to the potential of looming legal action.
That confirmed a sentiment expressed earlier by the inquiry's leader, communications department secretary Mike Mrdak.
He told the senators Ms Guthrie was also unable to hand over the document due to the conditions of her termination.
A spokesman for Ms Guthrie confirmed last week she is taking the ABC to court over her termination.
Mr Mrdak did not speak to any other current ABC board members as part of his inquiry, saying he didn't believe it was needed to ascertain the facts he was tasked to determine.
Australian Associated Press
