She might be one of Australia’s best political journalists, but when it comes to job hunting, Laura Tingle, is no different from the rest of us.
Fresh off an announcement that she will now take on the role of Global Affairs Editor at the ABC, Tingle told Mediaweek that when she first saw the job advertised she thought to herself: “This has got to be the best job in journalism other than the one I’ve already got”.
Despite boasting a 40-year career in journalism, Tingle said she still needed to apply for the role.
“Everybody’s got to apply for things,” she laughed.
“The job was just one of those things where I just thought not only could I do that, but I really want to do that. Plus, it was time for a change”.
The role will see Tingle deliver sharp analysis and on-the-ground reporting of major global events, supporting the ABC’s network of correspondents and foreign desks, including the Asia Pacific Newsroom and Foreign Correspondent.
It is, she said, something of a full circle moment: “I was 19 and the world was in the grip of deregulation fever. Australia was at the forefront of pushing for free trade and now, well, we’ve travelled full arc on that”.
A worldly career
Having started out as a finance and economics journalist before moving into political reporting, Tingle said she believes the breadth of her experience positions her to bring a unique perspective to the ABC’s international coverage.
“It’s an extraordinary time in the world,” she said.
ABC’s Director of News, Justin Stevens, said Tingle’s appointment would elevate the network’s international offering. ““Laura brings a rare depth of experience to a world that’s increasingly complex,” he said.
“As global affairs become more relevant to Australian audiences, her insights will help decode the big picture. She joins an already strong team of correspondents and tech specialists, and adds real firepower.”
Reflecting on her decades-long journalism career, Tingle said her broad international experience, from covering German elections to the collapse of Japan’s economy in the 1990s, has given her a strong sense of institutional memory and confidence to tackle global stories.
She emphasised the value of knowing when to trust your judgment, and when to acknowledge what you don’t know.
“Your greatest knowledge is of your own ignorance,” she said, adding that she’s looking forward to learning from the ABC’s foreign team and approaching the role with humility and pragmatism.
Tingle begins the new role mid-year, as ABC recruits a new 7.30 Political Editor.