The upper house's communications and environment committee will examine the recent controversy at the ABC including the sacking of managing director Michele Guthrie and chair Justin Milne's resignation.

The inquiry will look at political influence over ABC editorial decision-making, taking in the role of funding uncertainty and how the board is appointed.

Labor pushed for a separate inquiry which would have been conducted by the Senate's finance and public administration committee.

But that referral was shot down, with the government backing the Greens inquiry over Labor's.

"The Greens believe the more appropriate committee for this inquiry to go to would be the committee that usually deals with these issues," Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Government minister Anne Ruston agreed the communications committee was more appropriate.

The push comes after the release of the findings of an inquiry carried out by the communications department on Monday.

It probed the events leading up to Ms Guthrie being fired and Mr Milne resigning.

The review found neither former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull or any other minister requested ABC journalists be sacked in the lead up to the national broadcaster's recent leadership woes.

But it said the ABC's former top brass were in no doubt that senior government members were "very concerned" about editorial standards at the broadcaster.

They also believed that may affect the ABC's standing and funding.

The inquiry report is due on March 29.

Australian Associated Press