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ABC’s Chris Uhlmann joins Nine

ABC man becomes Chief Political Editor for Nine following the retirement of Laurie Oakes.

ABC’s Chris Uhlmann has been appointed the new Chief Political Editor for Nine.

Uhlmann’s named had been tipped as one of several potential candidates, following the retirement of Laurie Oakes.

Uhlmann joined ABC in 1998, becoming 7:30‘s political editor in 2008 for 5 years, followed by ABC News political editor from 2015.

Darren Wick, Director of News & Current Affairs for Nine, said: “Chris is the right man to take on this responsibility and lead Nine into a new era, where unprecedented technological change has forced the rewriting of the rule book about how we deliver news and current affairs. He is a man of integrity, talent and possesses the hunger that drives the truly great reporters.”

Chris Uhlmann said: “It is a rare privilege to be asked to lead the national political coverage on the network which opened the door on television for Australians. I am joining Nine because of its long and proud news culture and I am excited by the prospect of continuing the tradition.

“It is hard to leave the ABC. I do it with a heavy heart and a profound sense of gratitude. I go simply because I am seeking another challenge and believe that the time is right.

“The ABC is a national treasure. It has given me opportunities I never dared dream of, is home to some of the best journalists in the world and many of my best friends. I have not forgotten that the ABC took a risk appointing me to Parliament in 2006 and remember what I said at the end of my (second) interview: ‘I promise I won’t let you down.’ I have tried to honour my side of that pledge and know the ABC has honoured its end of the bargain.

“The roll of those I need to thank is too long for here, so I simply say I have learned something from all of you, will miss you, and I will be in touch. I will not be a commentator on what you do but I will be avidly watching and listening. Godspeed.”

ABC Director, News Gaven Morris said: “Chris has made a huge contribution not only to the ABC but to Australian political journalism. He leaves with our warmest and highest regards and very best wishes for his future endeavours.

“Chris leaves the political coverage team in outstanding shape. It is a critical time in politics, at home and abroad, and our team has never been more strongly positioned to deliver the news, analysis and context Australians need in order to fully understand the issues and how they affect all of our lives.

“The ABC has always been home to the nation’s most authoritative and comprehensive political reporting, and we are currently working on plans to further extend our coverage and make it even more relevant and useful to our audiences.”

He begins in October.

19 Responses

  1. Surely the bent and twisted and collapsed pylons caused by the powerful storm had a lot more to do with the actual blackouts at that time. Coal fired power stations would have been unable to provide power during such circumstances.

  2. Enjoyed his style of hosting on Insiders for the last couple of weeks, thought he’d be a great fit to the show if Barry Cassidy steps down (Not that we’re in any hurry for that!). None the less best of luck to him at 9.

      1. Yes.

        I particularly enjoyed his completely fact-based – and not at all uninformed biassed activism – reporting of last year’s SA power blackout. It was important to know the real truth about how it was all the fault of the South Australian Labor government’s reliance on renewable energy, while the Lefty know-nothings were blaming it on huge storms that toppled 23 power transmission towers & took out 3 of the states’ 4 electricity interconnectors…

        (That sarcasm aside, he’s one of the few actual journalists in this country – so good luck to him in his endeavours…)

        1. Actually the AMEO report proved him to be correct as the power had failed prior to the power poles collapsing. Mind you SA is now moving to diesel generators to patch up it failing system

          1. Only if by “proved him correct” you actually meant ‘specifically addressed, examined, refuted, and dismissed the claim’…

            See my other comment down below, where I quote both Chris & the AEMO. I _have_ actually read & understood the report, you know.

            (p.s. AEMO = “Australian Energy Market Operator”. AMEO is either a brand of essential oil, or a Volkswagon car sold in India…)

  3. I used to admire Chris, but I have never forgotten the stupid comments he made when talking to Nick Xenophon re renewable energy being the cause of the South Australian blackouts.

    He would have been smarter to have said nothing. I think he was at the ABC too long, and probably better suited to Channel 9.

      1. Chris Uhlmann: “Forty percent of South Australia’s power is wind generated, and that has the problem of being intermittent — and what we understand at the moment is that those turbines aren’t turning because the wind is blowing too fast.”

        AEMO Final Report: “The most well-known characteristic of wind power, variation of output with wind strength (often termed ‘intermittency’), was not a material factor in the events immediately prior to the [outage]. Other potential causes for the sustained power reduction have been subject to analysis by AEMO, including wind turbine disconnection due to excessive wind speed … This was not a material contributor to the event”

        (See, it helps to have actually _read_ the reports, not just listened to biassed commentators…)

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