ABC News has announced Bridget Brennan will be the new co-host of News Breakfast.
Brennan shared the news with viewers on Thursday morning alongside presenters Michael Rowland and Lisa Millar.
A Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta woman, Brennan is a highly experienced journalist and presenter who has been with the ABC since 2010.
"I'm really honoured and excited to be taking up this spot on the couch, alongside our amazing team," she said.
"I'm so grateful to Lisa and Michael for showing me the ropes and being wonderful mentors while I've adjusted to early starts and all the twists and turns that live television throws at you!"
She joined the broadcaster as a cadet journalist, and her previous roles have included working as the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Editor, Europe correspondent and National Indigenous Affairs correspondent.
"I didn't grow up watching Aboriginal women on the news, so it's really an important moment for my mob as well," she said.
An accomplished reporter, Brennan was instrumental in launching the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Unit in 2017.
Her 2022 reporting on the crisis of missing and murdered Aboriginal women alongside Suzanne Dredge and Brooke Fryer broke new ground as the first all-female Indigenous team to report an episode of Four Corners.
The story put faces to the names of more than 300 women who have gone missing, been murdered or killed across Australia since 2000.
'How Many More?' also won a Gold Quill, the top award at the 2023 Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism.
"Bridget has been such a breath of fresh air since joining the show and I am delighted she'll now be my main co-presenter," Rowland said.
"Bridget brings to the job enormous news heft, but also a love of music, film, food and bad jokes (mine, mostly). All the things that make News Breakfast tick!"
The news comes as Lisa Millar prepares to farewell the program on Friday August 23, after five years on the News Breakfast couch.
"Bridget is such a delightful friend and workmate – smart, intuitive and kind," Millar said.
"I can't wait to see the impact she'll have in this role, especially with our audience, who have already enthusiastically embraced her as a familiar part of their morning."
ABC News director Justin Stevens has welcomed the move, saying he's delighted to see her take up the leading role.
"Bridget is a formidable journalist and broadcaster and I can't wait to see what she does on News Breakfast from here."
