Jeremy Fernandez is an Australian journalist and television

news presenter A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

with the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

(ABC). Fernandez is currently weeknight presenter of '' ABC News NSW'' in Sydney.

Early life and education

Fernandez was born in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, Malaysia to parents Joseph and Elizabeth. The family moved to

Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu (; formerly known as Jesselton), colloquially referred to as KK, is the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is also the capital of the Kota Kinabalu District as well as the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the ...

within a month of his birth where his father took up a job as chief editor of the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' newspaper. Fernandez has two sisters. When he was 13, Fernandez and his family migrated to the Australian city of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. He attended

Morley Senior High School Morley Senior High School is an Independent Public high school located in Noranda, a northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The school provides an education to approximately 1,400 students from Year 7 to Year 12. History By the end of ...

. After high school, Fernandez earned a journalism degree from

Curtin University Curtin University (previously Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology) is an Australian public university, public research university based in Bentley, Western Australia, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. ...

, then completed a broadcasting course at the

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a performing arts school in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1980, it is notable for being the most comprehensive performing arts school in Aus ...

. Fernandez has described himself as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Career

Fernandez joined the

in 2000 working as a producer for

ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...

. He has presented programs on Australia Network and has worked as a voiceover artist for the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

. He has worked with

CNN International Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...

in London, UK as a writer and a producer before joining the ABC again in 2009, where he continues to work at the network's Sydney bureau. In December 2012, Fernandez replaced Felicity Davey as '' ABC News NSW'' weekend presenter. In early 2017, Fernandez hosted ''

Lateline ''Lateline'' was an Australian television news program which ran from 1990 until 2017. The program initially aired weeknights on ABC TV. In later years it was also broadcast internationally throughout Asia and the Pacific on the Australia Plu ...

'' while regular hosts, Tony Jones and

Emma Alberici Emma Alberici (born 3 February 1970) is an Australian journalist and former foreign correspondent who was the chief economics correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television network. Alberici was until 2017 the presen ...

were on leave. In December 2017, the ABC announced that Fernandez would present the ABC's new late night bulletin, ''ABC Late News''. In May 2018, the ABC flew Fernandez and

Annabel Crabb Annabel Crabb is an Australian political journalist, commentator and television host who is the ABC's chief online political writer. She has worked for Adelaide's '' The Advertiser'', ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', ''The Age'', the '' Sunday A ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to host coverage of the

Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held on Saturday 19 May 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. The groom is a member of the British royal family; the bride is American and previously worked as an a ...

. In August 2021, Fernandez guest hosted '' Media Watch'' after host

Paul Barry Paul James Barry (born 24 February 1952) is an English-born, Australia-based journalist, newsreader and television presenter, known to Australian and British audiences for his television reports and his semi-serious comments on current news, w ...

was injured from a bicycle accident. In 2022 and 2023, Fernandez was a presenter for the ABC's coverage of the

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest LGBT festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

parade. In 2023, he also co-hosted the Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert broadcast for the ABC. In August 2023, the ABC announced that Fernandez will replace

Juanita Phillips Juanita Phillips (born 11 October 1963) is an Australian former journalist and news presenter and reporter. Phillips was previously the weeknight presenter of '' ABC News NSW'' in Sydney. Early life Phillips was born in Brisbane, Queensland wh ...

as '' ABC News NSW'' weeknight presenter from 11 September.

Racial abuse incident

In February 2013, Fernandez was racially abused by a female fellow passenger on a Sydney bus for about 15 minutes, while taking his two-year-old daughter to child care. One other passenger intervened, but was also the recipient of remarks by the abuser. Fernandez says that the woman's daughter had been physically abusing his child. Fernandez says that, after the woman and her children left the bus, other passengers offered him their names and contact details as witnesses to the incident. Fernandez later talked to the bus driver, who said he should have moved. Fernandez has described this incident as his "

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...

moment".ABC News anchor racially abused on bus
Lexi Metherell, ABC The World Today, 8 February 2013, accessed 10 February 2013

References

External links

– profile page, ABC {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Jeremy Living people Australian television newsreaders and news presenters Racism in Australia Malaysian emigrants to Australia Year of birth missing (living people) Curtin University alumni Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts alumni