Kerry O’Brien

Kerry O’Brien is one of Australia’s most distinguished and respected journalists, renowned for his incisive political interviews and unwavering commitment to investigative reporting. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, he has worked across newspapers, wire services and television as a reporter, foreign correspondent, political editor, interviewer, and program host.

Kerry began his career as a cadet with Channel Nine in Brisbane in 1966, and his work has taken him from Papua New Guinea as an AAP-Reuter correspondent to senior roles on This Day Tonight, Four Corners, and Lateline. He served as press secretary to both Labor leaders Gough Whitlam and Lionel Bowen, and was the ABC’s first North American correspondent. From 1995 to 2010, Kerry was editor and host of The 7.30 Report, and since 2011 he has anchored Four Corners, returning the program to its hosted format and covering major national and international events with authority and insight.

Throughout his career, Kerry has interviewed world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Colin Powell, and reported on historic events such as the Whitlam dismissal, the Grenada invasion, the Marcos coup in the Philippines, the attempted Gorbachev coup in Russia, and major election campaigns. Winner of the prestigious Gold Walkley, Kerry O’Brien is recognised as a defining figure in Australian journalism, celebrated for his integrity, rigor, and ability to hold power to account.