Virginia Trioli to leave the ABC after 27 years

Virginia Trioli is leaving the ABC to pursue her own creative projects. (ABC)

Veteran broadcaster Virginia Trioli has this morning announced she is leaving the ABC to pursue new creative opportunities.

After 27 years at the national broadcaster, Trioli said she was at the peak of her powers and excited to deploy her skills on different projects.

Trioli said she was working on two books and a TV script, among other things. Her last day at the ABC will be June 26.

Virginia Trioli has announced she is leaving the ABC to pursue new creative opportunities, after 27 years as a journalist, broadcaster and program maker at the organisation.

One of the most recognisable and respected voices in Australian broadcasting, Trioli first joined the ABC in 1999 following stints at The Age newspaper and The Bulletin news and current affairs magazine.

She has held numerous radio and television presenting roles, including founding anchor of News Breakfast on ABC TV, host of Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne, and most recently presenter of the TV series Creative Types with Virginia Trioli, where she explored the essence of creativity and imagination with prominent Australian artists, actors, musicians and writers.

"After spending all this time with a whole lot of creative types, I realised that I kind of am one, too. And that's really what I want to go and focus on now," Trioli told ABC News.

"I've just been so fortunate and had the luckiest and best career you can possibly have in mainstream media … but right now I am just itching — there is this voice that's getting increasingly loud in my head — to go and work on my own creative projects."

Virginia Trioli co-hosted News Breakfast alongside Michael Rowland from 2008 to 2019. (ABC TV)

Trioli said she had been working on two new books since publishing A Bit On The Side — her "ode to joy" — in 2024.

"There's also a TV script I'm noodling away with … and a million other things in my head that are dying to get out."

ABC managing director Hugh Marks said Trioli had been at the heart of some of the ABC's most important programs and conversations, earning the respect and affection of a wide variety of audiences.

"Her achievements are many. I also know Virginia has ambitions to explore new work opportunities and I hope we can work together to realise them in the coming years," Mr Marks said. "I will be watching her every success with enthusiasm, and I hope much of it is with the ABC."

As well as hosting Mornings on ABC Radio Sydney, and Drive and Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne, Trioli presented Lateline, Q&A and 7.30 a