Leigh Sales is an Australian journalist and author best known for anchoring the ABC’s current affairs program 7.30 from 2011 to 2022.
She now presents the ABC documentary series Australian Story and co-hosts the podcast Chat 10 Looks 3.
Leigh Sales Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Leigh Peta Sales |
| Born | May 10, 1973, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Age | 53 years |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Profession | Journalist, author, television presenter |
| Known For | 7.30 and Australian Story |
| Education | Queensland University of Technology, Deakin University |
| Ex-Husband | Phil Willis |
| Children | Two sons |
| Net Worth | $3 million |
Who is Leigh Sales?
Leigh Peta Sales AM is an Australian journalist and author who joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1995.
She hosted 7.30 for almost 12 years and now presents Australian Story. She has won three Walkley Awards, Australia’s highest journalism honour.
Sales has interviewed every living Australian prime minister. Her guests have also included Hillary Clinton, the Dalai Lama, and Paul McCartney.
Her Wikipedia profile lists her years active as 1995 to the present.
Early Life of Leigh Sales
Leigh Sales was born on May 10, 1973, in Brisbane, Queensland. She attended Aspley State High School in the same city.
She graduated from the Queensland University of Technology in 1994. Sales first worked for the Nine Network.
Soon after, she joined the ABC in Brisbane in 1995. Her career at the ABC has now run for more than 30 years.
Leigh Sales Age / Birthday
Leigh Sales is 53 years old as of 2026, born on May 10, 1973. Her zodiac sign is Taurus, a sign often linked with persistence and reliability.
Today she hosts Australian Story on ABC TV.
Leigh Sales Ethnicity and Nationality
Leigh Sales is Australian. She was born in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.
She spent four years in Washington, D.C., as the ABC’s correspondent from 2001 to 2005.
Leigh Sales Education
Sales attended Aspley State High School in Brisbane. She then studied at the Queensland University of Technology, earning a Bachelor of Business with a journalism major in 1994.
She later completed a Master of International Relations at Deakin University.
In September 2022, QUT awarded her an honorary doctorate for her distinguished service to the community.
Edith Cowan University gave her a second honorary doctorate in 2023. The Edith Cowan citation praised her service to journalism and the community.
Leigh Sales Career
Early Career (1995-2010)
Sales joined the ABC in Brisbane in 1995 and later worked as a New South Wales political reporter.
In that role, she covered the 1999 and 2007 state elections. From 2001 to 2005, she served as the ABC’s Washington correspondent.
Her stories there included the Iraq War, the 2004 US presidential election, Guantanamo Bay, and Hurricane Katrina.
Back in Sydney, she became the national security correspondent from 2006 to 2008. From 2008 to 2010, she co-hosted the late-night program Lateline.
Major Positions Held (2011-2022)
In December 2010, the ABC appointed Sales as anchor of its flagship current affairs program, 7.30.
She hosted the show from 2011 to 2022 and also anchored the network’s election coverage in 2016, 2019, and 2022.
She announced in February 2022 that she would step down after the federal election. Sarah Ferguson took over as host in July 2022, after almost 12 years under Sales.
Current Role (2023-Present)
In 2023, Sales became host of Australian Story, which had no presenter since Caroline Jones left in 2016.
The program marks its 30th anniversary in 2026. In August 2024, she began mentoring autistic journalism students on the ABC series The Assembly.
The Assembly won the 2026 TV Week Logie for Best Factual or Documentary Program.
In January 2026, Sales also began hosting a Saturday afternoon program on ABC Classic. Since 2020, she has voiced Coco’s mother, Bella, on the children’s series Bluey.
Leigh Sales Notable Interviews and Coverage
Sales has interviewed every living Australian prime minister during her time at the ABC.
She also spoke with the late Bob Hawke. In January 2013, she hosted a Global Town Hall with Hillary Clinton.
Her international guests have included the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Paul McCartney.
She also interviewed Patti Smith and Salman Rushdie. She interviewed the Dalai Lama for 7.30 in June 2013.
Leigh Sales Awards and Recognition
Sales has won three Walkley Awards for journalism. She also holds an Order of Australia for her public service.
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Walkley Award, Best Radio Current Affairs Reporting | Report on Guantanamo Bay | Won |
| 2007 | George Munster Award for Independent Journalism | Detainee 002: The Case of David Hicks | Won |
| 2012 | Walkley Award, Broadcasting and Online Interviewing | Interview | Won |
| 2019 | Walkley Book Award | Any Ordinary Day | Won |
| 2019 | Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | Service to broadcast journalism | Honoured |
| 2023 | Gold Logie, Most Popular Personality on Australian Television | The 7.30 Report | Nominated |
Her podcast also won two awards at the 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. She received her Order of Australia in 2019.
Leigh Sales Books
Sales has written or co-written five books, from a study of the David Hicks case to a guide to the craft of journalism.
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Detainee 002: The Case of David Hicks | Melbourne University Publishing |
| 2009 | On Doubt | Little Books on Big Themes series |
| 2018 | Any Ordinary Day | Penguin Australia |
| 2021 | Well Hello | Co-written with Annabel Crabb |
| 2023 | Storytellers | Simon & Schuster |
Detainee 002 covers the case of David Hicks and the Bush administration’s detainee policy.
Any Ordinary Day appeared in October 2018 and won the Walkley Book Award. Well Hello followed in September 2021 and grew out of her podcast with Crabb.
Leigh Sales Husband Phil Willis
Sales married Phil Willis in 1996. The couple later had two sons. They separated in December 2016 after 20 years of marriage.
Sarah Ferguson hosted 7.30 while Sales was on maternity leave. Her publisher biography calls her the mother of two sons.
Leigh Sales Net Worth
Leigh Sales’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. Her income comes mainly from her ABC presenting work and her books.
She hosted 7.30 for almost 12 years. Her podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 and her five books add to her earnings.
She also lends her voice to Bluey. Her book Well Hello followed the podcast in September 2021.
Leigh Sales Social Media
Leigh Sales posts on Instagram, where she shared her return to voice the ice cream lady on Bluey in June 2022.
Her podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 has its own website at Chat 10 Looks 3. The podcast launched in November 2014.
It records an episode every two to three weeks, and it won two Australian Podcast Awards in 2019. Listeners call themselves the chatterati.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Leigh Sales?
Leigh Sales turned 53 on May 10, 2026.
What is Leigh Sales’s net worth?
Her net worth stands at $3 million in 2026.
Who was Leigh Sales’s husband?
She married Phil Willis in 1996, and the two separated in December 2016.
Where is Leigh Sales from?
She comes from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
What does Leigh Sales host now?
She hosts Australian Story on ABC TV and a Saturday afternoon program on ABC Classic.
How many Walkley Awards has Leigh Sales won?
She has won three Walkley Awards, for radio reporting in 2005, interviewing in 2012, and her book Any Ordinary Day in 2019.
Conclusion
Leigh Sales has built a three-decade career at the ABC, from Brisbane reporter and Washington correspondent to the host chair at 7.30 and Australian Story.
Her books, her podcast with Annabel Crabb, and her Order of Australia keep her among the best-known voices in Australian journalism.