Laura Tingle
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Laura Margaret Tingle (born 14 February 1961''Who's Who in Australia'', ConnectWeb, 2016.) is an Australian journalist and author. She is the chief political correspondent of the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
's ''
7.30 ''7.30'' is an Australian nightly television current affairs program which broadcasts on ABC and ABC News at on Monday to Thursday nights. The program is currently hosted by Sarah Ferguson. History The program first aired on 7 March 2011, re ...
'' current affairs television program and was previously the political editor of ''
Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...
''.


Career

Tingle began her career in Sydney as a cadet journalist with Fairfax Media's ''
Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...
'' and ''
Business Review Weekly ''BRW'' (formerly ''Business Review Weekly'') was an Australian business magazine published by the Fairfax Media group. The magazine was headquartered in Melbourne. It regularly compiled lists which rank corporations and individuals according to ...
'' in the early 1980s, reporting on financial deregulation and the floating of the dollar. In 1987, she moved to
News Limited News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,0 ...
's ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' newspaper as an economics correspondent. She was appointed chief political correspondent in 1992 and national affairs correspondent from 1994. In 1996, she returned to Fairfax as a political correspondent for ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' and ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
''. In 1998, she resigned as Canberra bureau chief for ''The Age'', frustrated by constant interference and lack of attention to her requests, moving to the ''Sydney Morning Herald''. In 2002, she resigned from the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' over the combining of ''The Age'' and ''Herald'' Canberra bureaus, the cutting of staff and the shift to lighter stories, returning to the ''Australian Financial Review'' as political correspondent. She was subsequently appointed chief political correspondent and Canberra bureau chief from 2003, then political editor in 2008. Tingle's book, ''Chasing the Future: Recession, Recovery and the New Politics in Australia''—documenting the recession of the early 1990s—was published in 1994. She has written four issues of ''
Quarterly Essay ''Quarterly Essay'' is an Australian periodical that straddles the border between magazines and non-fiction books. Printed in a book-like page size and using a single-column format, each issue features a single extended essay of at least 20,000 ...
'': "Great Expectations – government, entitlement and an angry nation" in June 2012, "Political Amnesia – how we forgot to govern" in November 2015, "Follow the Leader: Democracy and the Rise of the Strongman" in September 2018 and "The High Road: What Australia Can Learn From New Zealand" in November 2020. Her book ''In Search of Good Government'' was published by
Black Inc Schwartz Publishing is an Australian publishing house, digital media and news media organisation based in Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria established by Australian property developer Morry Schwartz in the 1980s. Since the late 1990s many of its p ...
in 2017. Tingle won
Walkley Awards The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...
in 2005 and 2011 and has also been highly commended in the Walkley Awards for her investigative journalism. She also won the
Paul Lyneham Paul Lyneham (13 August 1945 – 24 November 2000) was an Australian journalist, commentator and television presenter. Lyneham was born in Melbourne
Award for Press Gallery Journalism in 2004 and was shortlisted for the John Button Prize for political writing in 2010. In 2017 she won the Qantas-European Union journalism prize. She makes regular appearances on
ABC Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...
's ''
Late Night Live ''Late Night Live'' is a radio program broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National and podcast and streamed over the World Wide Web. Since 1991, the program has been hosted by farmer, writer and public intellectual Ph ...
'' and '' Insiders'' on ABC TV. In February 2018, Tingle left the ''Australian Financial Review'' and joined the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
as chief political correspondent of current affairs television program, ''
7.30 ''7.30'' is an Australian nightly television current affairs program which broadcasts on ABC and ABC News at on Monday to Thursday nights. The program is currently hosted by Sarah Ferguson. History The program first aired on 7 March 2011, re ...
''. Tingle also regularly fills in for Sarah Ferguson on the program. In March, she signed a $15,000 contract for two days' work with the Turnbull Government's Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet as a host at the Association of South East Asian Nations summit in Sydney. Tingle told ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' newspaper: "I see absolutely no conflict." She is the current president of the
National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...
. She was elected in December 2020. Tingle took over from
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, 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 five main free-to-air television netw ...
journalist,
Chris Uhlmann Christopher Gerald Uhlmann (born 24 June 1960) is an Australian former journalist and television presenter. Career Uhlmann was formerly a seminarian, a security guard, and a journalist with ''The Canberra Times'' before joining the Australian B ...
.


Political views and analysis

Tingle is a regular political commentator on the ABC's ''7.30'' and ''Insiders'' programs and is a columnist. When
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...
became Leader of the Opposition in 2009, Tingle wrote for the
Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...
(AFR) on 1 December that "The election of Tony Abbott is a disaster of epic proportions for a party that was already up against it in the race to remain competitive at the next election. They have now taken a major step to the Right, towards their base, and away from mainstream voters." In the aftermath of the
2010 Australian federal election The 2010 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 August 2010 to elect members of the 43rd Parliament of Australia. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard won a second term against the op ...
when the incumbent Gillard Government and
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...
-led Opposition were negotiating with the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
crossbench A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...
about who would form government, Tingle responded to a
Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in p ...
analysis of Abbott's costings with an article for the AFR in which she wrote that the Opposition was "not fit to govern" and were either "liars", "clunkheads" or both. Tingle has variously described Abbott as an "oaf", an "utter destructive force" and a "waste of space". When
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...
challenged and won the Liberal leadership and prime ministership from Abbott in an internal party ballot in 2015, Tingle described it as "the end of a particularly poisonous period in Australian politics", saying that "Australia has been pushed sharply to the right" and that Abbott's government was "unlamented ... except at News Corporation". She denounced Abbott's focus on "the Daesh death cult, the ABC, the Ice Epidemic, Labor-appointed boards and public servants". When Turnbull subsequently resigned as Liberal prime minister ahead of a similar internal party leadership ballot in 2018, Tingle described the replacement of Turnbull with
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...
as "utterly pointless". She judged that the move to oust Turnbull was driven by "pure spite and collective madness". On the day he resigned, Turnbull chose Tingle as the first of a small number of reporters permitted to question him at his final press conference. She asked if he regretted making too many concessions to conservatives. In June 2018, Communications Minister,
Mitch Fifield Mitchell Peter Fifield (born 16 January 1967) is the Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations. He is a former Australian politician who served as a Senator for Victoria from 2004 to 2019, representing the Liberal Party. He wa ...
wrote to ABC Director
Michelle Guthrie Michelle Guthrie (born 1965) is an Australian business executive and lawyer. Guthrie was born in Sydney in 1965, was educated at Brigidine College Randwick and Kambala Girls' School, and studied arts and law at the University of Sydney. She jo ...
to make a formal complaint about Tingle making a "false claim" in her reporting of the setting of the date for by-elections. Tingle accused the government of "bastardy". The ABC issued an apology for its news coverage of the event. During
2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season (Black Summer), was a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, is considered a megafire. The Australian National ...
, Tingle praised ABC reporters on Twitter for their coverage. When a Twitter follower responded "pity about the lack of balance", Tingle replied with a tweet saying "What, like, 'on the other hand, it's ONLY 4.6 million hectares of Australia that are burning'. A rare editorial engagement: go fuck yourself". In 2020, Tingle blamed the departure of ABC journalist Philippa McDonald from the ABC on "ideological bastardry" on the part of the
Morrison Government The Morrison government was the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn ...
in a tweet which concluded "hope you are feeling smug @ScottMorrisonMP". ABC managing director and editor-in-chief
David Anderson David Anderson may refer to: People In academia or science *David Anderson (academic) (born 1952), American college professor *David Anderson (engineer) (1880–1953), Scottish civil engineer and lawyer *David Anderson, 2nd Viscount Waverley (1911â ...
called the tweet, which Tingle had deleted, a "mistake" during a subsequent
Senate Estimates The committees of the Australian Senate are committees of Senators, established by the Australian Senate, for purposes determined by that body. Senate committees are part of the operation of the Australian parliament, and have for some decade ...
hearing. In 2021, Tingle campaigned strongly for the removal of the Morrison Government's Attorney General
Christian Porter Charles Christian Porter (born 11 July 1970) is an Australian former politician and lawyer who served as the 37th Attorney-General of Australia from 2017 to 2021 in the Turnbull government and the subsequent Morrison government. He was a Mem ...
after he denied an allegation raised by the ABC that he had assaulted a woman when he was a young person. NSW police pronounced the matter closed on the basis of "insufficient admissible evidence to proceed". Tingle argued in an 3 March editorial for the ''7:30'' program that it did not matter if he been found guilty of a crime beyond reasonable doubt, but that "perception" was sufficient for his removal. She dismissed comparisons made by Porter to Labor leader
Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition a ...
.


Personal life

Tingle was born in Sydney, the youngest daughter of Pam Chivers and journalist
John Tingle John Saxon Tingle (2 November 1931 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian politician, journalist and broadcaster. He was the founder of the Shooters Party in New South Wales, and was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1995 t ...
who, after a long career in journalism with the ABC and commercial radio, founded the
Shooters Party The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFF) is an Australian political party. It primarily advocates for increased funding and services for rural and regional Australia, protecting the right to farm, enhancing commercial and recreational fishi ...
in 1992 and was elected to the
New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...
in 1995. Tingle was educated at the Australian International Independent School. She married fellow journalist
Alan Ramsey Alan Graham Ramsey (3 January 193824 November 2020) was an Australian journalist and columnist for ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' from 1986 to 2008. In a career spanning 56 years, he worked for ''The Daily Telegraph, The Australian, The Syd ...
in 1995. They separated in 2012 and divorced in 2017. Tingle has one daughter. Tingle has reportedly been in a relationship with actor Sir Sam Neill since 2018. A portrait of Tingle by James Powditch titled ''Laura Tingle – the fourth estate'' was a finalist for the 2022
Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...
. The portrait's composition and Tingle's image were inspired by the monochrome profile image of
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
in the publicity posters and images for the movie ''
Judgment at Nuremberg ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' is a 1961 American epic courtroom drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, written by Abby Mann and starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Dietr ...
'', and Tingle's image incorporated a
collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...
of texts related to her and chosen by both her and the artist. The portrait was subsequently purchased by Tingle's mother.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tingle, Laura 1961 births Living people Australian investigative journalists ABC News (Australia) presenters Australian political journalists Australian columnists Australian women columnists Walkley Award winners Australian women editors Australian women non-fiction writers