From copy girl to media megastar, Ita Buttrose has seen it all

Ita Buttrose has had a profound effect on the Australian media scene — and she’s not finished yet.

ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

Ita Buttrose never dreamt she would have an illustrious media career spanning 50 years when she started working at the tender age of 15.

Ms Buttrose has worked her way up the male-dominated media industry, most notably for the Packer and Murdoch family’s, and most recently was tasked with turning around the ABC as its new chairwoman.

“I thought what most young girls of my age thought at that time, that I would work for a bit, and then I’d get married, have children, and I’d go home.

“I got married, I had the children, but I didn’t go home,” Ms Buttrose told The Australian.

But by 23 she was an editor, and liked making decisions.

“I liked the production side of the business, and then one thing lead to another,” she said.

Ms Buttrose has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her eminent service to the community through leadership in the media, the arts and the health sector, and as a role model.

She already is an Officer of the Order of Australia and Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

“It's a thrill, it’s an honour to be honoured.”

Ms Buttrose, who has meet the queen three times, said she will celebrate with her family over a lunch on Monday.

Ms Buttrose started her career at the Australian Women’s Weekly as a copy girl at 15, which was then owned by Sir Frank Packer, and after much perseverance secured a cadetship a year later.

At the age of 17, she was sent on a royal tour with Princess Alexandra, the Queen’s cousin, to Queensland for its century for a month, where she picked-up many new skills, including drinking scotch.

“You’d be staying in the local pub, and the doors were never locked, you didn’t lock your door at night time. A woman would come along the corridors with a trolley of tea, bang on your door … and then you’d all go downstairs and have breakfast in the dining room together,” she said.

“It was a very different world but it was wonderful.”

Ms Buttrose said journalists then would take their type-written stories to the post office for transmission to the office, but that’s all changed now, thanks to the digital revolution.

“Look what we can do now.”

Buttrose has worked for Murdoch’s News Ltd newspapers to Australian Consolidated Press, which was owned by Sir Packer’s son, Kerry Packer at the time. Most recently she worked at free-to-air commercial broadcasters Network 10 and Nine Network most recently, and was tapped by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in late February to chair the ABC after a tumultuous six months, including the sacking of managing director Michelle Guthrie and resignation of chairman Justin Milne.

Ms Buttrose says female journalists face different challengers now but are much wiser.

“They’re certainly much better educated, and they’re wiser.

“I think sometimes they look at life at the top and think I’m not sure I want that. They don’t all think that but some do.”

“I think you can do it all according to your own standards, but not by everybody else’s standards so whatever it is you want to do that, then that’s fine.”