''Nine News Queensland'' is the flagship state-based news bulletin of the Nine Network in Brisbane. Like all ''
Nine News
Nine News (stylized as 9News) is a national News agency, news service on the Nine Network in Australia. Its flagship program is an hour-long ''9News'' bulletin at 6:00 pm, with editions produced by Nine's owned-and-operated stations in TCN, S ...
'' bulletins, the Queensland bulletin runs for one hour nightly at 6:00pm. The bulletin also airs, albeit on a half-hour delay, in the Northern Territory. It comprises local, national and international news, as well as sport, weather and finance.
Unlike the other four metropolitan bulletins, this local edition of ''Nine News'' is addressed on-air by its state, rather than its city.
Simulcast
The 6pm bulletin is simulcast in Brisbane on commercial radio station
River 94.9
River 94.9 (callsign: 4MIX) is a commercial radio station that broadcasts to South East Queensland. The station opened in February 1990, and was formerly known as Star 106.9, which used to operate on the frequency now occupied by Nova 106.9. T ...
, across regional Queensland on the
WIN Network
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. ...
as well as through
NTD in
Darwin and throughout remote eastern and central Australia on
Imparja Television
Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. It is based in Alice Spri ...
.
History
Bruce Paige
Bruce Paige (born 10 November 1948) is a former newsreader in Brisbane, Australia. He previously presented '' Nine Gold Coast News'' alongside Eva Milic.
He previously co-presented '' Nine News Queensland'' alongside Melissa Downes, having pa ...
and
Heather Foord
Heather Foord (born 1965) is an Australian television journalist.
Foord was a news presenter for the Nine Network in Brisbane for over 20 years, presenting the weekday edition of ''Nine News Queensland'' with Bruce Paige between 1995–2001, an ...
co-anchored the 6:00pm bulletin from 1995 until 2001, when Foord joined Mike London as a weekend presenter and
Jillian Whiting
Jillian Whiting is an Australian television presenter.
Whiting has previously been a presenter on ''Nine News Queensland.''
Early life
Whiting was born in Mackay, Queensland on 12 July 1971, moving with her family to Brisbane after her parent ...
replaced her on weeknights. London resigned in June 2003 after allegations emerged that he had organised a female friend to complain about the presentation of weeknight presenter Bruce Paige. Foord and Whiting swapped positions in 2004 with Melissa Downes taking over as weekend presenter in 2006.
Foord resigned as weeknight presenter on 5 December 2008
and was replaced by
Melissa Downes
Melissa Downes (born 17 September 1973) is an Australian broadcast journalist. She is currently a presenter of ''Nine News Queensland.''
Career
Downes began her career at the Seven Network in Brisbane as an intern during her final year of un ...
on weeknights with
Eva Milic
Eva Milic (born 27 June 1978) is an Australian journalist and beauty pageant titleholder who represented Australia at Miss World 2001. Milic is currently the presenter of ''Nine Gold Coast News''.
Career
Milic completed a Bachelor of Business ...
and former ABC news presenter Andrew Lofthouse fronting weekend bulletins. A year later, Bruce Paige stepped down from the weeknight chair (he was replaced by Lofthouse) and Heather Foord returned to present weekend bulletins solo for two years. Paige returned to full-time newsreading in January 2012, fronting ''Nine Gold Coast News'' solo until he was paired with
Wendy Kingston
Wendy Kingston is an Australian journalist and television news presenter.
Kingston was previously a presenter of '' Nine Afternoon News Queensland'', as well as other national bulletins from Sydney.
Career
Kingston's media career began in 200 ...
in July 2016.
In February 2018, in a minor network reshuffle, Alison Ariotti stepped down from the Weekend role. Darren Curtis anchored the bulletin before he was replaced by then-''Nine News Regional Queensland'' presenter
Jonathan Uptin.
In January 2023, long-serving sports presenter
Wally Lewis
Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the sp ...
resigned from the role, citing health concerns. He was replaced by
Jonathan Uptin, who formerly presented the weekend news between 2018 and 2022. His position was subsequently taken over by Mia Glover.
In January 2025, Lofthouse announced that he would step down from presenting the bulletin, with immediate effect.
In May 2025, Nine announced that Joel Dry would return to the network, succeeding
Andrew Lofthouse
Andrew Lofthouse (born 2 June 1962) is a former television and radio newsreader based in Brisbane, Australia. The former teacher was formerly the weeknight presenter of ''Nine News Queensland'' with Melissa Downes between 2009 and 2024. Prior t ...
and joining
Melissa Downes
Melissa Downes (born 17 September 1973) is an Australian broadcast journalist. She is currently a presenter of ''Nine News Queensland.''
Career
Downes began her career at the Seven Network in Brisbane as an intern during her final year of un ...
as co-presenter starting in August.
Ratings
Throughout the 1990s, and right up until the mid-2000s, ''Nine News Queensland'' was the clear-cut ratings leader in Brisbane. However, when weatherman
John Schluter
John Schluter (born 1955) is an Australian journalist and weather presenter.
Schluter currently presents a weekly "Flashback" report and is a fill-in weather presenter on ''Seven News'' in Brisbane.
Career Nine Network
Schluter presented the we ...
resigned just short of what would have been his 25th anniversary with the
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
towards the end of 2006 (subsequently joining the rival ''
Seven News Brisbane
Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia.
National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flagshi ...
''), sports presenter
Wally Lewis
Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the sp ...
took sick leave after collapsing on-air during a nightly bulletin in November of the same year, and rival
Seven Brisbane
BTQ is the Brisbane television station of the Seven Network in Australia. BTQ was the second television station to launch in Brisbane, going to air on 1 November 1959, after QTQ (station of the Nine Network) launched three months earlier and be ...
poached then-''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* The current day and calendar date
** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone
* Now, the time that is perceived directly, present
* The current, present era
Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' news presenter
Sharyn Ghidella
Sharyn Ghidella (born 4 December 1966) is an Australian journalist and news presenter.
Career
Ghidella's career in television began in the North Queensland region, as a reporter and presenter for North Queensland Television (now TNQ, 10 QLD) ...
from Nine shortly after to read its weekend news (and later weeknights), the ratings declined, and in 2007, ''Nine News Queensland'' would lose its long-standing ratings dominance in the local market to the rival ''
Seven News Brisbane
Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia.
National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flagshi ...
''.
After
Andrew Lofthouse
Andrew Lofthouse (born 2 June 1962) is a former television and radio newsreader based in Brisbane, Australia. The former teacher was formerly the weeknight presenter of ''Nine News Queensland'' with Melissa Downes between 2009 and 2024. Prior t ...
and
Melissa Downes
Melissa Downes (born 17 September 1973) is an Australian broadcast journalist. She is currently a presenter of ''Nine News Queensland.''
Career
Downes began her career at the Seven Network in Brisbane as an intern during her final year of un ...
took over as the chief co-presenters in mid-2009, ''Nine News Queensland'' would start to chip away at Seven's lead, and by 2013 they would reclaim its mantle as the top-rating news bulletin in Brisbane.
As of 2018, ''Nine News Queensland'' has lost its ratings lead to ''Seven News Brisbane'' once again.
"Choppergate" controversy
The ''Nine News Queensland'' bulletins on 20 and 21 August 2011 included live coverage each night by reporters Melissa Mallet and
Cameron Price
Cameron Price (born 24 September 1985) is an Australian journalist who is the co-founder and CEO of LeadStory.
He was formerly a Sydney reporter for '' Sky News Australia'', a Brisbane reporter for ''Nine News'', a Sydney reporter for '' Seve ...
, respectively, from the station's helicopter, which they claimed was "near
Beerwah", where the remains of murdered schoolboy
Daniel Morcombe
Daniel James Morcombe (19 December 1989 – 7 December 2003) was an Australian boy who was abducted from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, on 7 December 2003 when he was 13 years old. Eight years later, Brett Peter Cowan (born 18 September 1969), ...
had been found earlier that month. The reports were revealed to be fake when, on the second night, rival station
Channel Seven recorded video of the Nine helicopter sitting on the helipad outside their studios at
Mount Coot-tha
Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mount Coot-tha Lookout, Brisbane Botanic Garden ...
at the time of the broadcast. Radar footage also revealed that, on the first night, the helicopter was actually hovering over
Chapel Hill, away from Beerwah. Both Mallet and Price, as well as news producer Aaron Wakeley, were sacked by the
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
following the incident, and news director Lee Anderson accepted responsibility and resigned over the faked reports. Despite the scandal, Nine experienced a spike in its 6:00 pm news ratings in the weeks that followed, managed to win more weeks than it did in the previous three years combined (winning seven of the 32 ratings weeks up to the first week of October),
and recovered to reclaim its mantle as Queensland's most-watched news service by 2013.
Presenters
Fill-in presenters
Should Downes be absent, the bulletin is presented solo.
The primary fill-in anchors are Wendy Kingston, Aislin Kriukelis and Paul Taylor. Other fill-in presenters include
* Josh Bavas (news)
* Dominique Loudon (sport)
* Luke Bradnam (weather)
* Ebony Cavallaro (weather)
Former presenters
News
*
Andrew Lofthouse
Andrew Lofthouse (born 2 June 1962) is a former television and radio newsreader based in Brisbane, Australia. The former teacher was formerly the weeknight presenter of ''Nine News Queensland'' with Melissa Downes between 2009 and 2024. Prior t ...
(2009–2024)
*
Bruce Paige
Bruce Paige (born 10 November 1948) is a former newsreader in Brisbane, Australia. He previously presented '' Nine Gold Coast News'' alongside Eva Milic.
He previously co-presented '' Nine News Queensland'' alongside Melissa Downes, having pa ...
(1985–1990, 1993–2009)
*
Heather Foord
Heather Foord (born 1965) is an Australian television journalist.
Foord was a news presenter for the Nine Network in Brisbane for over 20 years, presenting the weekday edition of ''Nine News Queensland'' with Bruce Paige between 1995–2001, an ...
(1989–2008, 2009–2011)
* Mike London (1986–2003)
*
Jillian Whiting
Jillian Whiting is an Australian television presenter.
Whiting has previously been a presenter on ''Nine News Queensland.''
Early life
Whiting was born in Mackay, Queensland on 12 July 1971, moving with her family to Brisbane after her parent ...
(1998–2008)
*
Eva Milic
Eva Milic (born 27 June 1978) is an Australian journalist and beauty pageant titleholder who represented Australia at Miss World 2001. Milic is currently the presenter of ''Nine Gold Coast News''.
Career
Milic completed a Bachelor of Business ...
(2009, July 2011 – October 2014)
* Darren Curtis (October 2014 – February 2018)
*
Alison Ariotti
Alison Ariotti (nee Fletcher, born 1980) is an Australian journalist and news presenter.
Career
Ariotti's media career began at NBN in Northern New South Wales where she worked casually as a reporter. In 2000, she was appointed to ''WIN News ...
(October 2014 – February 2018)
*
Sophie Walsh
Sophie Walsh (born 24 October 1985) is an Australian television news presenter journalist.
She is currently a presenter and reporter for ''Nine News''. She has previously been a co-host and news presenter on ''Weekend Today''.
Career
Early in ...
(first half of 2016)
*
Frank Warrick
Francis Michael Warrick (1944 – 11 May 2021) was an Australian journalist and newsreader and TV game show host.
Biography
Warrick began his career in radio as a disc jockey in Toowoomba in 1963 with AM radio station 4GR, and in 1965 he was t ...
(1984–1985)
*
Don Seccombe
Donald Harry Seccombe (born 3 April 1942) is a former Australian politician and cricketer who played several first-class matches for Queensland during the early 1960s, and later served in local government as the mayor of Redland Shire.
Born ...
(1960's – 1985)
* Paul Griffin (1973–1983)
Sport
*
Chris Bombolas
Chris Bombolas (born 12 May 1960) (often known as ''Bomber'') is a communications and media specialist, and a television and radio presenter. A former sports reporter for 21 years with the Nine Network in Brisbane. A former Australian politicia ...
* Steve Haddan
*
Ian Healy
Ian Andrew Healy (born 30 April 1964) is an Australian former international cricketer who played for Queensland domestically. A wicketkeeper and right-hand middle-order batsman, he first played international cricket in 1988, after six first ...
* Sam Squiers
*
Wally Lewis
Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the sp ...
Weather
*
Sami Lukis
Sami Lukis is an Australian television and radio personality.
Lukis has appeared on the Nine Network as weather presenter on ''Today'', and for Network Ten on the children's educational program ''Totally Wild''. She also worked in radio as a br ...
* Joseph May
*
John Schluter
John Schluter (born 1955) is an Australian journalist and weather presenter.
Schluter currently presents a weekly "Flashback" report and is a fill-in weather presenter on ''Seven News'' in Brisbane.
Career Nine Network
Schluter presented the we ...
* Frank Warrick
Reporters
News
* Peter Fegan
* Ebony Cavallaro
*
Tim Arvier (State Political Editor)
* Bruce Paige (Seniors Reporter)
* Anna Rawlings (Court Reporter)
* Josh Bavas
* Jacob Chicco
* Lily Greer
* Abbey Geran
* Jakob Funk
* Pat Heagney
* Kate Lambe
* Clare Todhunter
* Michelle Tapper
* Emily Prain (crime reporter)
*Bold indicates the senior reporters
Sport
* Dominique Loudon
* Adam Jackson
*
Ben Dobbin
* Mark Gottlieb
Notable former reporters
* Alex Bernhardt
* Neil Doorley – now a Senior Media Adviser with
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
* Spencer Jolly – now retired
* Alyshia Gates – now with the
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...
* Brittney Kleyn – now with ''
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
''
* Melissa Mallet (2009–2011)
* Paris Martin – now with ''
10 News First Sydney''
* Ashley McDermid
*
Cameron Price
Cameron Price (born 24 September 1985) is an Australian journalist who is the co-founder and CEO of LeadStory.
He was formerly a Sydney reporter for '' Sky News Australia'', a Brisbane reporter for ''Nine News'', a Sydney reporter for '' Seve ...
(2008–2011)
* Nat Wallace – now with ''
A Current Affair
''A Current Affair'' may refer to:
* ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network
* ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...
''
*
Sophie Walsh
Sophie Walsh (born 24 October 1985) is an Australian television news presenter journalist.
She is currently a presenter and reporter for ''Nine News''. She has previously been a co-host and news presenter on ''Weekend Today''.
Career
Early in ...
(2011–2016) – now with
Nine News Sydney
''Nine News Sydney'' is the local news bulletin for the Nine Network station in Sydney, airing across New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory each night.
Like all ''Nine News'' bulletins, the Sydney bulletin runs for one hour from 6p ...
* Phil Willmington – now retired
* Lane Calcutt (state political reporter); now a Senior Media Adviser with
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
References
External links
{{Primetime newscasts in Australia
Australian television news shows
Nine News
Black-and-white Australian television shows
Television shows set in Queensland
1957 Australian television series debuts
1960s Australian television series
1970s Australian television series
1980s Australian television series
1990s Australian television series
2000s Australian television series
2010s Australian television series