By Kishor Napier-Raman and Tom Cowie
ABC head of communications and former News Corp journalist Nick Leys is departing the public broadcaster to take up a job as chief of staff for Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece.
Leys has spent most of the past 10 years spinning for Aunty, aside from a brief spell at the Australian Energy Council, and CBD understands he will finish up soon as spokesman before joining Town Hall on Swanston Street.
Nick Leys is leaving the public broadcaster to become chief of staff to Melbourne’s lord mayor.
Reece, a former staffer for then prime minister Julia Gillard and Victorian Labor state secretary, was elected as lord mayor at last year’s Victorian council elections, recording 61.5 per cent of the vote after preferences to comfortably beat the rest of the field.
“Nick Leys is one of the best behind-the-scenes operators in Australia,” said Reece. “I look forward to Nick joining Team Melbourne – and helping us get good done.”
Before he joined the ABC, Leys was senior journalist with the News Corp papers and had a stint as media diarist for The Australian.
“Melburnians know they live in one of the world’s great cities,” Leys said. “Lord Mayor Nick Reece is passionate about his vision for the city, and the opportunity to work with him and play a role in the Melbourne story is a privilege and honour.”
Leys, who is married to prominent ABC journalist Louise Milligan, was known for his bolshie defence of the public broadcaster, particularly when it came under fire from his former employers in the Murdoch press.
“All Australians, regardless of their politics or social views, should value the important contribution the ABC makes every day,” he said.
In his new role, Leys will also work with Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell, the former Liberal candidate for Aston who is married to Herald Sun journalist James Campbell.
He also joins another ABC alum – Chaser funnyman Andrew Hansen, who took up a role last year as a speechwriter for Reece.
Southern invaders
While NRL head honchos were sleeping off their Las Vegas hangovers, the AFL made a bold play for enemy territory, holding its 2025 season launch at Luna Park on Tuesday evening.
What else says round zero (sorry – opening round) like a glorious early autumn evening on the harbour?
Tuesday evening’s festivities followed a dramatic day for the AFL which, hours earlier, had finally made the sensible decision to postpone its opening round clash between Brisbane and Geelong at the Gabba, scheduled for the same time Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to make landfall in south-east Queensland.
The AFL season launch at Luna Park.Credit: via Getty Images
It was clearly front of mind, because chief executive Andrew Dillon had already mentioned the season opener delay three times in the first minutes behind the mic.
Dillon, who took the reins after the 2023 season, is slowly emerging from the very long shadow of his predecessor Gillon McLachlan, who is boss of betting giant Tabcorp.
Despite moving on from footy after a seemingly endless retirement tour, Gil still managed an appearance to receive his AFL life membership on Tuesday evening.
Also getting a life membership gong was former GWS Giants chair and former Sydney stadium supremo Tony Shepherd. His successor as chair, Business Council of Australia president Tim Reed, was spotted in the crowd, as was defamation lawyer and Giants board member Rebekah Giles.
CBD also caught sight of Port Adelaide chair and former Sunrise host David “Kochie” Koch, NSW Sports Minister Steve Kamper, veteran sports administrator and Venues NSW boss David Gallop, ex-Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy, Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany and Seven’s cleanskin CEO Jeff Howard.
The Sydney launch was a projection of the AFL’s strength and financial muscle – cocktails and canapes by the harbour, the Luna Park big top decked out like a nightclub, every premiership trophy this century on display in a Twin Peaks-themed red carpeted lobby.
It wasn’t just the cyclone that caused problems. The country’s most powerful sporting code also had to deal with a technical failure when, about a minute into legendary presenter Bruce McAvaney’s voiceover accompanying a montage of the 2024 season, the video sputtered, froze and cut out.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Dillon said.
Unfortunately for Sydney Swans chair Andrew Pridham, the problem was fixed in time to show a highlight reel of his club’s nightmarish grand final defeat to the Lions last September.
Dave’s party
SPOTTED: Late to dinner at Bayly’s, the restaurant at the Ensemble Theatre in Kirribilli named after actress Lorraine Bayly, no other than esteemed playwright David Williamson. He was dining before catching a performance of the production of Aria, by esteemed playwright, er, David Williamson. During the play, the master wordsmith looked to be thoroughly enjoying his own jokes. To be fair, so did the rest of the audience.
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