Leigh Sales

Leigh Peta Sales AM (born 10 May 1973) is an Australian journalist and author. She is the host of the Australian television channel ABC's flagship news and current affairs program 7.30. In 2019, she was awarded an Order of Australia for her services to broadcast journalism.

Sales was born in Brisbane and attended Aspley State High School in that city. She is received the degrees of Bachelor of Journalism from Queensland University of Technology and Master of International Relations from Deakin University. Sales joined the ABC Brisbane in 1995.

Since then, Sales has held several prominent roles with the ABC and was New South Wales political reporter covering the 1999 and 2007 state elections. In addition, she reported on the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Sales was a co-host of the ABC's Lateline from 2008 to 2010. This was a late-night national current affairs show with a heavy emphasis on federal politics and international affairs. She was the ABC's national security correspondent from 2006 until 2008 and was based in Sydney.

Beforehand, Sales was the network's Washington correspondent from 2001 to 2005. The stories which she covered included the Iraq War, the 2004 presidential election, Guantanamo Bay and Hurricane Katrina

In 2011, Sales was appointed anchor of the ABC's flagship prime time current affairs program, 7.30. She has interviewed every living Australian prime minister and many world leaders and celebrities, including Hillary Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, Sir Paul McCartney, Patti Smith, and Salman Rushdie.

Publishing career

Her first book, Detainee 002: The Case of David Hicks, was published in 2007 by Melbourne University Publishing (MUP). The book covers Hicks' case as well as a detailed explanation of the Bush administration's detainee policy in the War on Terror and the Australian government's cooperation.

Her second book, On Doubt, was published in 2009 as part of MUP's series Little Books on Big Themes. It covers the rise of opinion in place of straight news reporting and the value of bringing a skeptical mindset to politics and policy, instead of ideological certainty. A second edition was published in 2017, with an additional chapter noting the Trump presidency and the rise of fake news.

Sales' third book, Any Ordinary Day, was published in October 2018. It examines the way people adapt to life-changing blindsides, drawing on Sales' personal experience as well as her years covering high-profile news events that drastically changed people's lives.

Sales' writing has also regularly appeared in major Australian publications, including The Monthly, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and before its demise, The Bulletin.

Chat 10 Looks 3 podcast

In November 2014, Sales started a podcast with Annabel Crabb called Chat 10 Looks 3. It is independent of the work they do for other media outlets and is an opportunity for them to talk about books, movies, television, the media and culture.

Sales was married to Phil Willis and they have two children. After 20 years of marriage, Sales and Willis separated in December 2016.

• 2019: Walkley Book Award for Any Ordinary Day
• 2019: Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to the broadcast media
• 2012: Walkley Award for Broadcasting and Online Interviewing
• 2007: George Munster Award for Independent Journalism for Detainee 002
• 2005: Walkley Award for best Radio Current Affairs reporting on Guantanamo Bay