David Speers

David Speers

David Speers (left) interviewing George Brandis on PM Agenda
Born David Speers
9 September 1969[1]
Sydney, Australia
Residence Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Education 19871988: Normanhurst Boys High School
1989: Turramurra High School
Occupation Political Editor
Years active 2000 present
Employer Sky News Australia
Known for Political reporting
David Speers.

David Speers is an Australian journalist and the political editor at Sky News Australia, as well as host of PM Agenda, The Last Word and Speers Tonight.

Career

Speers worked with the Macquarie Radio Network at 2GB, and the Southern Cross radio network, including stations 2UE and 3AW, before joining Sky News Australia in 2000.[2] He has been a member of the National Press Club board since 2005[3] and is currently a director.[4]

He currently hosts the channel's flagship PM Agenda program Monday to Thursday afternoons. Additionally, he presents political updates and conducts interviews throughout the day on the 24-hour news channel.[5] He also previously commuted from his home in Canberra once a week to Sky News' primary studios in Sydney to host primetime program The Nation with David Speers[5] before the program ended in 2015. On 28 January 2016, Speers began hosting a new weekly Sky News format Speers Tonight from Canberra.[6][7][8]

Speers was chosen to moderate the leaders' debate between John Howard and Kevin Rudd for the 2007 Australian Federal Election[9] and again in the 2010 Australian Federal Election between Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, as well as the 2013 Australian Federal Election between Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott.

Speers also writes regularly for financial website Switzer.[10]

Awards

Between 2006 and 2015, Speers has been awarded with an ASTRA Award for 'outstanding performance' by a presenter or journalist every year with the exception of 2010.[11][12][13] The awards were discontinued after 2015.[14]

Speers won a Walkley Award in December 2014 for a notable interview with Attorney General George Brandis, in which Brandis struggled to explain what metadata was despite being the minister in charge of proposed new laws surrounding the storage and police access of metadata.[15][16] Speers won the same award at the 2015 event (which Speers also hosted) for his notable 'The Fixer' interview with Christopher Pyne on PM Agenda.[17]

In 2016, Speers was named one of the 50 most powerful people in Australian television by News Corp Australia.[18]

Personal life

Speers lives in Canberra and is married to his wife Liz, and together have a child named Matilda born in 2010.[19][20] The couple had a second child Olive, who in 2016 while aged 2 years old, was flown from Canberra to the Sydney Children's Hospital and placed on life support for nine days following the onset of croup.[21] Speers plays the trumpet and demonstrated this ability while hosting the 2010 ASTRA Awards.[22][23]

References

  1. Speers, David (9 September 2015). "David Speers". Twitter. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  2. "Sky News Team: David Speers". Sky News Australia. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  3. "ICMI Speakers Bureau - David Speers". ICMI. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  4. "Directors - NPC". National Press Club Australia. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 Knox, David (13 December 2011). "David Speers talks the talk". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  6. "Speers Tonight - Foxtel Guide". Foxtel. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  7. Speers, David (28 January 2016). "New show #SpeersTonight". Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. "Transcript of television interview – Speers Tonight, SKY News". Anthony Albanese. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  9. "Journos vie for debate". The Australian.
  10. "David Speers: Switzer". Switzer. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  11. WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2006 ASTRA AWARDS
  12. ASTRA Awards 2007 Winners List
  13. Byrnes, Holly (13 March 2015). "ASTRA Awards 2015: Wentworth, Sky News among winners". News Corp Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  14. Christensen, Nic (24 November 2015). "Dedicated pay-TV awards scrapped, as ASTRA joins rest of industry in the AACTA Awards scheme". Mumbrella. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  15. News
  16. "David Speers – PM Agenda". YouTube. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  17. "'The Fixer' interview wins Walkley". 3 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  18. Molloy, Shannon (20 March 2016). "The 50 most powerful people in Australian television, from screen stars to show makers". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  19. Overington, Caroline (6 December 2010). "7.30 line-up fails to impress all". The Australian. Retrieved 21 April 2016.(subscription required)
  20. Manning, James (17 August 2013). "David Speers: Campaign Diary 2013". Mediaweek (Podcast). Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  21. Trask, Steven (22 May 2016). "'It was absolutely terrifying': Sky News anchor David Speers reveals his daughter, two, was placed on life support on the same day the federal election was announced". Daily Mail Australia. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  22. "Dr Mumbo at the ASTRA Awards: Speers blows his own trumpet". Mumbrella. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  23. Knox, David (25 June 2010). "ASTRA host blows his own trumpet". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
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