The political editor for 7.30, Laura Tingle, is taking on a new role at the ABC as global affairs editor, providing analysis on world events across TV, radio and online.
Tingle joined the broadcaster in 2018 after 35 years as a political journalist for newspapers including the Australian Financial Review, the Australian, the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I’m exceptionally excited to have the opportunity to use my experience to report back to Australians on the big events around the world that also shape our nation,” Tingle said.
“I started my journalistic career at a time when Australia and the world were being challenged and transformed by the forces of deregulation and the freeing up of global trade.
“Forty years on we are in even more uncertain times. It’s so important that the national public broadcaster has Australian eyes on the world putting the significance of major global events into context for local audiences.”
Tingle replaces John Lyons who moved into the newly created role of Americas editor, based in the US, to cover the Donald Trump presidency in March. Lyons works alongside North America correspondent Lauren Day who is based in Washington.
As global affairs editor, Lyons was one of the ABC’s key reporters from the Middle East, having travelled to Israel, Lebanon and Iran to report since 7 October.
Tingle will also cover world affairs across all platforms, working for the international division alongside the network of foreign correspondents, the Asia Pacific newsroom and the TV program Foreign Correspondent.
The ABC has correspondents in 11 overseas locations and another seven local reporters based in the region in the Pacific local journalism network.
The ABC director of news, Justin Stevens, said Tingle was an exceptional journalist who had the skills to make sense of the extraordinary times we live in.
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“International reporting is a cornerstone of the ABC news service,” Stevens said. “We have an outstanding group of foreign correspondents and technical specialists and Laura will add even more firepower to this busy and productive team.”
During her seven years as political editor, Tingle was praised for her astute analysis of Australian politics but also attracted the ire of Murdoch outlets for her sometimes outspoken comments. Last year News Corp lambasted her for criticising Peter Dutton’s immigration policy at the Sydney Writers’ festival.
While discussing the Coalition’s plans to cut immigration, Tingle said: “We are a racist country, let’s face it. We always have been, and it’s very depressing.”
Stevens supported Tingle but she said she had been reminded to abide by ABC editorial standards at external events.
Tingle issued a lengthy statement of her own in which she said her remarks had created the opportunity for “yet another anti-ABC pile-on”, which was not “helpful to me or to the ABC”.
The ABC will advertise for a new 7.30 political editor.
