7.30
Australian nightly television current affairs programme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
7.30 is an Australian nightly television current affairs program which broadcasts on ABC TV and ABC News at 7:30 p.m. on Monday to Thursday nights, hosted by Sarah Ferguson.
| 7.30 | |
|---|---|
Official logo for the show | |
| Genre | |
| Presented by | Sarah Ferguson |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Joel Tozer |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC Television |
| Release | 7 March 2011 – present |
| Related | |
| The 7.30 Report, Lateline | |
History
The program first aired on 7 March 2011, replacing both The 7.30 Report and Stateline. It was originally hosted by Leigh Sales and Chris Uhlmann.[citation needed]
In 2012, Uhlmann was appointed as 7.30 political editor, therefore stepping down as host. Uhlmann remained as political editor until 2013, when he announced that he would be working on a documentary about the Rudd and Gillard governments for the ABC.[citation needed] Sabra Lane replaced him as political editor, until she left to host the ABC morning radio current affairs program, AM.[1]
In 2015, Jo Puccini was appointed executive producer of the program.[2]
In December 2016, the ABC announced that Andrew Probyn would replace Sabra Lane as political editor.[3] In August 2017, Probyn moved to a new role as the ABC's political editor replacing Chris Uhlmann who left the broadcaster for the Nine Network.
In February 2018, Laura Tingle was appointed as political editor, replacing Probyn.[4]
In 2014, Sarah Ferguson hosted the show whilst Leigh Sales was on maternity leave.[5] She received critical acclaim for her hard-hitting interview style from many Australian media outlets.[6]
In 2018, Justin Stevens was appointed executive producer.[citation needed]
In February 2022, Sales announced that she would be stepping down as host, after almost 12 years in the role. She finished hosting the program in June, after the federal election, but continued to work for the ABC.[7]
In April 2022, ABC announced that Sarah Ferguson would return from her role as special correspondent in Washington, D.C. to succeed Sales as the host of 7.30 from July 2022.[8]
Joel Tozer was announced as the new executive producer of the program in June 2022, taking over from Justin Stevens, who was appointed director of news for the network.[9]
In May 2025, ABC announced that Laura Tingle would be departing 7.30 after six years to take on a new role as global affairs editor.[10][11] Tingle was replaced by Jacob Greber, former chief digital political correspondent at the ABC.[12][13]
Description
7.30 is a half-hour current affairs television program that follows the evening news on ABC TV. It is the flagship for the network, with The Sydney Morning Herald saying "7.30 remains arguably [the ABC's] most impactful daily program. It is regularly the broadcaster's most watched on any given night."[14]
Hosts
| Presenter | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Kerry O'Brien | 1995–2010 |
| Leigh Sales | 2011–2022 |
| Chris Uhlmann | 2011–2012 |
| Sarah Ferguson | 2022–present |
Michael Rowland and David Speers are fill-in presenters.[citation needed]
Political editor
| Presenter | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Chris Uhlmann | 2012–2013 |
| Sabra Lane | 2013–2016 |
| Andrew Probyn | 2016–2017 |
| Laura Tingle | 2018–2025 |
| Jacob Greber | 2025–present |
State editions
On 28 November 2014, Quentin Dempster announced the final episode of the state editions would be the following week (5 December 2014), corresponding with his departure from the public broadcaster.
The state editions of 7.30 were broadcast on ABC at 7:30 p.m., with eight separate state and territory specific editions. Each local version of 7.30 was also broadcast nationally on ABC News over the weekend.
