Perhaps Tamara and Isk have swapped their days around, with Tamara weeknights and Isk on Saturday and Sunday? Previously it was a Sun-Thurs and Fri-Sat roster.
ABC Radio commentator Ben Cameron is in South Africa and did a report on the preparations for the first cricket test against Australia (which starts in Durban on Friday) for the TV news bulletin. Ben is a member of the ABCâs commentary team for the three-test series.
BTNâs Amelia Mosley has been doing the weather for the SA 7PM on a Friday night for the past few weeks, however she doesnât present it from the studio, but instead she presents it from random locations around the city
If youâre having a quiet night, come and hang out with me on the ABC News Channel! Iâll be presenting the 7pm News, and several bulletins âtil midnight! And it might be my last one for quite a while âŚ
The ABC has made two key business appointments with David Chau named as the new 7PM News finance presenter and Jessica Irvine joining the national business reporting team in the new role of Money Correspondent.
David takes over from Alan Kohler, who last month announced he would be retiring from the ABC after 31 years. Kohler will finish up with the ABC this week after bringing forward his retirement date in order to join his son Chris on their new podcast. His farewell appearance on the 7PM News will be this Wednesday 14 October.
Jessica Irvineis well known to the Australian business audience. She is an economics journalist and author who spent close to two decades at the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and was also formerly National Economics Editor at News Corporation. She hascovered 18 federal budgets and written five books, building a large, loyal following for her plain-English writing on household finance and the economy.
Jessica is scheduled to start with the ABC next month. As Money Correspondent she will report across platforms on the intersection between the economy, business and peopleâs personal finances, doing reporting and analysis on how the major economic and policy issues affect all Australians.
Jessica Irvine: âIâm excited to join the ABC and be part of the outstanding business team and to continue to help Australians understand their money better.â
David Chau has covered business for close to a decade and is already a familiar face to audiences. He trained and worked as a litigation lawyer for five years before making a career change to journalism and joining the ABC in 2017 as a digital producer. He began presenting finance reports on the News Channel in 2019.
David Chau: "To find out Iâll be presenting the evening finance segment is a âpinch meâ moment. Iâm honoured for this opportunity to continue Alan Kohlerâs legacy â the man is indisputably a national treasure.
"Being the son of a Vietnam War refugee, we didnât have a lot of money when I was growing up. Educating myself about finance was important, so I made sure to consume as much news as possible. Watching Alanâs finance reports was a highlight for me which I learned a lot from.
âWhat excites me about this role is that I get to de-mystify the world of finance for viewers every night. You can certainly count on me to make finance news more relatable, easy-to-understand and even fun.â
ABC Director, News Simon Robinson: "Iâm delighted David Chau has agreed to take on this bigger role in the ABCâs daily coverage. Davidhas built a reputation as a clear, reliable explainer of markets and corporate news. Audiences already know the expertise and enthusiasm he brings to business and finance reporting. Iâm really looking forward to tuning in every evening as he explains those hugely important stories to our audience.
"Itâs terrific to have Jessica Irvine joining the business team. The economy and cost of living issues are at the forefront of Australiansâ minds and Jess brings exceptional experience to reporting in this area.
âOn behalf of the ABC I extend to Alan Kohler our sincere thanks for his incredible contribution and best wishes for the future. He has been a respected and admired part of the ABC family for three decades and leaves a huge legacy.â
ABC head of news Simon Robinson has threatened senior environment journalist and MEAA union federal president Michael Slezak with disciplinary action over an opinion piece he wrote for The Australian Financial Review.
The Core Conflict
⢠The Article: In his AFR piece, Slezak argued that ASIC and its chief executive, Mark Rigotti, were using the Bondi terror attack as a âshieldâ to advance changes regarding access to the personal data of prominent company directors.
⢠Managementâs Stance: Robinson called Slezak into a meeting to raise concerns regarding his conduct, citing strict ABC guidelines that require staff to go through an external work request process before publishing elsewhere. ABC management has refused to rule out disciplinary action or termination.
⢠The Unionâs Defense: The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) house committee countered that Slezak holds a pre-existing written agreement with the broadcaster. This agreement permits him to make public comments on behalf of journalists in his capacity as a senior union representative.
Current Escalation
The union has labeled the disciplinary threat an âattack on press freedomâ and called an urgent meeting for its members. The MEAA is demanding that ABC management immediately rule out any punitive action against Slezak, calling for a collective response to prevent the intimidation of elected staff representatives.
How on earth would an ABC journalist think itâs ok to write a piece, let alone an opinion piece, for whatâs essentially a rival outlet? I think the boss is right to discipline him, perhaps more ABC staff need some stern words.
If youâre having a quiet night, come and hang out with me on the ABC News Channel! Iâll be presenting the 7pm News, and several bulletins âtil midnight! And it might be my last one for quite a while ⌠
