Liz Hayes joins rival TV network just months after Nine departure

Veteran former Nine journalist Liz Hayes is moving to rival network Seven as a guest correspondent for its troubled Sunday night Spotlight program.

The move comes just two months after Nine (owner of this masthead) announced her departure from the network after a 44-year career, saying she would be “pursuing new opportunities outside of the Nine Network” but would remain “part of the Nine family”.

Former Nine star Liz Hayes has joined Spotlight on rival broadcaster Seven.Credit: Nine Network

Hayes joined the Nine network in 1981 as a reporter, then, in 1986 began a 10-year stint as co-host of Today with Steve Liebmann. She joined 60 Minutes in 1996 and covered events such as the Syrian refugee crisis, US elections and natural disasters.

Most recently, she was the presenter of Under Investigation with Liz Hayes, but the future of the show is unknown, and it is not on this year’s program schedule.

In a statement announcing her departure, Hayes said: “The media world has evolved as have I. What hasn’t changed is the need for good stories to be told, and I will continue to tell them.”

Hayes’ first story for Spotlight will be a sit-down interview with Lauren Zonfrillo, widow of late MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo, who died in 2023 aged 46.

It will be the first time Zonfrillo has spoken publicly about her husband’s death as she prepares for the release of her memoir, Till Death Do Us Part, on May 6. It is expected to go to air within coming weeks.

Spotlight executive producer Gemma Williams said in a statement the show was privileged to welcome Hayes to the team.

“Widely respected for her decades of experience, storytelling expertise and journalistic integrity, we look forward to collaborating with Liz on this special project,” she said.

Over the past year, Spotlight has struggled in the ratings and is regularly beaten by its nearest competitor, Nine’s flagship current affairs program, 60 Minutes.

An episode this month on brutal conditions endured by workers at an Indonesian nickel mine supplying the EV industry proved a bright spot, winning a bigger national average audience of 850,000 against 60 Minutes′ 825,000, prompting Seven to issue a press release trumpeting the achievement.

Spotlight has also been dogged by scandal after its efforts to secure an interview with Bruce Lehrmann came under scrutiny during the former Liberal staffer’s defamation trial last year. The Federal Court was told company expenses were used to allegedly purchase sex workers and drugs, alongside lavish meals, golf trips and a year’s worth of accommodation.

The claims led to weeks of damaging headlines and eventually the departure of Spotlight executive producer Mark Llewellyn.

Former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach, who gave that evidence, last month filed Federal Court proceedings to sue the network over allegedly disparaging comments made before his appearance in court.

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