Veteran journalist Virginia Trioli has announced she is leaving the ABC after 27 years, bringing to a close one of the most enduring careers in Australian broadcasting.
The 60-year-old presenter, author and broadcaster confirmed the news on Thursday, revealing she is stepping away from the national broadcaster to focus on a range of creative projects she has been developing behind the scenes.
“I’ve got some news to share. After 27 years at the ABC, it’s time for me to depart,” she told ABC News.
“After spending all this time with a whole lot of creative types, I realised that I kind of am one, too. And that’s really what I want to go and focus on now.
“I’ve just been so fortunate and had the luckiest and best career you can possibly have in mainstream media … but right now I am just itching- there is this voice that’s getting increasingly loud in my head- to go and work on my own creative projects.”
Trioli’s departure marks the end of an era for the ABC, where she became one of the broadcaster’s most recognisable and trusted faces across radio and television.
She joined the ABC in 1999 after building a successful career in print journalism with The Age and The Bulletin, quickly establishing herself as a prominent figure in Australian current affairs.
Over the following decades, Trioli held a string of high-profile roles, including becoming the founding anchor of ABC TV’s News Breakfast and hosting Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne.
More recently, she fronted the acclaimed television series ‘Creative Types with Virginia Trioli’, which saw her travel across the country interviewing some of Australia’s leading artists, musicians, actors and writers about the nature of creativity.
Throughout her career, the mother-of-one earned widespread industry recognition, collecting three Walkley Awards. She was also named Best Columnist at the Melbourne Press Club Awards in 1999 and won Best Radio Current Affairs Report in 2020.
ABC managing director Hugh Marks paid tribute to Trioli’s contribution to the broadcaster, describing her as a central figure in many of the organisation’s most significant programs and conversations.
“Her achievements are many. I also know Virginia has ambitions to explore new work opportunities and I hope we can work together to realise them in the coming years,” Marks said.
“I will be watching her every success with enthusiasm, and I hope much of it is with the ABC.”
While leaving behind a distinguished broadcasting career, Trioli indicated she has no plans to slow down.
She revealed she is already working on two new books following the publication of A Bit On The Side in 2024, while also developing a television project.
“There’s also a TV script I’m noodling away with … and a million other things in my head that are dying to get out,” she said.
Trioli’s final day with the ABC will be June 26.