Liz Hayes steps down from Nine after 44 years

Liz Hayes is stepping down from Nine to pursue new opportunities outside the network after 44 years.

Hayes career with Nine spans 9News, Today, 60 Minutes and Under Investigation with Liz Hayes.

However, viewers can expect to see her on their screens on Nine for special stories and events.

Hayes said: "When I arrived at Nine I had little more than a notebook and a typewriter, but like my new and far more experienced colleagues, I carried with me an enormous passion for telling stories. I was blessed. I had found my tribe. Even Nine's owner at the time, Kerry Packer, seemed to carry the same passionate story telling gene.

“Of course since then much has changed. The media world has evolved as have I. What hasn't changed is the need for good stories to be told, and I will continue to tell them.

“I leave Nine grateful for the decades of experience, the wonderful friendships that have endured and deeply appreciative to the many people who trusted me to tell their stories.”

Nine director of television, Michael Healy said: “Liz Hayes is an Australian television legend and has dedicated most of her career to Nine, she will leave an undeniable legacy.

“Her many accomplishments speak volumes about the type of journalist she is - tenacious, a truth seeker, and above all, a storyteller. I’d like to recognise Liz for the impact she has had on Australian journalism and thank her for all she has done for Nine over the past 44 years.

“We know Liz’s next chapter will be just as successful as her last, and she has our full support."

Hayes' expansive and award-winning media career allows for an incredibly diverse and impressive portfolio of stories. She is a master storyteller who boasts an innate ability to connect with people. However, her impact extends beyond storytelling, with Liz firmly cemented as one of Australia’s most accomplished women in media.

She joined 9News in 1981 as a reporter and then went on to present the morning bulletin. In 1986 she became co-host of Today with Steve Liebmann, a role she held for 10 years.

Hayes joined 60 Minutes in 1996 and has covered everything from US presidential elections to the heart-wrenching Syrian refugee crisis, as well as natural disasters across the globe.

Renowned as one of the greatest interviewers on Australian television, she has sat down with Prime Ministers and politicians, influential business people, Hollywood actors, music legends, and world-class athletes. But ultimately, Hayes’ greatest impact has been shining a light on the stories of everyday people who find themselves in extraordinary situations.

Over the past four-and-a-half decades, Hayes’ contribution to journalism has been recognised with a Logie Award for producing and presenting acclaimed documentary The Greatest Gift and the 2024 Media Diversity Australia Award for Under Investigation with Liz Hayes. The award celebrates journalists making an outstanding contribution through their reporting on diverse people or issues in Australia, and was the first time any commercial television network has been recognised in this category.

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