ABC newsreader Juanita Phillips resigns from broadcaster

Veteran ABC newsreader Juanita Phillips has announced she’s leaving the national broadcaster.

The 7pm News anchor is set to have her farewell bulletin on Sunday, September 10, after 21 years at the ABC, and 42 years in newsrooms across the country and overseas.

“The ABC 7pm News is an Australian treasure and it’s been an honour to play a very small part in its history,” Ms Phillips said in a statement on Monday.

“I thank the 7pm audience for their support and the trust they place in the ABC.

“I’d like to say a special farewell to the viewers who’ve been with me from day one – I’ve spoken to many of them over the years and when they stop me in the street for a chat it feels like we know each other.”

She says now her two children are young adults, she’s able to step away from full-time work.

“I have no idea what comes next, but it’s an exciting stage of life, full of possibilities and the time and freedom to explore them,” she says.

“It‘s my choice, and I’m excited to start the next phase of my life,” Ms Phillips wrote in a letter published by the ABC on Monday.

Before the ABC, Ms Phillips worked for Brisbane newspapers, Channel 10, the BBC in London, and CNN in the United States.

“On my second shift at the BBC, Princess Diana died in a car crash,” she writes.

“A week later, I anchored part of the coverage of her funeral, broadcasting to a global audience of hundreds of millions.”

ABC News Director Justin Stevens said Ms Phillips would leave a valuable and abiding legacy at the national public broadcaster.

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“This is sad news, but we respect the decision Juanita has made, detailed in the wonderful words she has written today about her decision,” he said.

“As well as her journalistic contribution, Juanita is a champion and trailblazer for gender equity and inclusion in the newsroom, with her advocacy benefiting many women at the ABC and throughout the media.”

Ms Phillips has two children, Marcus and Mischa, from her first marriage to graphic designer Mario Milostic, and has been in a relationship with former federal climate change minister Greg Combet since 2012.

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