The night Leigh Sales revealed she would be departing as host of the ABC’s flagship 7.30 current affairs program there was a tell-tale sign she was about to make a major announcement.
It was one of the rare occasions Sales chose to front the show wearing the lapel pin that signifies the journalist is a Member of the Order of Australia.
Sales did the same thing on Tuesday night when she grilled Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a long-awaited interview ahead of him calling a federal election in coming days.
The night Leigh Sales revealed she would be departing as host of the ABC’s nightly 7.30 current affairs program she wore the lapel pin that signifies the journalist is a Member of the Order of Australia (above). It was one of the rare occasions she chose to wear the badge
Sales wore her Order of Australia pin on Tuesday night when she grilled Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a long-awaited interview ahead of him calling a federal election in coming days
In a sometimes testy exchange Sales bombarded Mr Morrison with questions about his leadership and reputation among Coalition colleagues.
Sales confronted the prime minister over claims made by members of his own party he was a bully, liar and ‘horrible, horrible person’ during the milestone showdown.
While Mr Morrison – who does not hold any official honour – sported an Australian flag badge on his coat, Sales’s gold AM pin was displayed on the lapel of her jacket.
The 48-year-old journalist was made a Member of the Order of Australia – the third highest honour in the system – in June 2019 for ‘significant service to the broadcast media’.
As such she is entitled to wear the AM’s lapel stud but rarely seems to do so on camera or anywhere else in public.
Sales did wear the badge when she interviewed former British prime minister David Cameron in January 2020 in the wake of United Kingdom voters’ decision to exit the European Union.
The pin’s appearance on Tuesday night does not seem to be part of a tradition when Sales goes head-to-head with Australian political leaders.
She did not wear it when interviewing Mr Morrison in September 2019, or during interrogations of the prime minister in March, July and October 2020, or May 2021.
The 48-year-old journalist was made a Member of the Order of Australia – the third highest honour in the system – in June 2019 for ‘significant service to the broadcast media’. She rarely wears the pin that signifies the award. Sales is pictured at the 2019 Logies
Sales wore the Order of Australia badge when she interviewed former British prime minister David Cameron in January 2020 in the wake of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union
It went largely unnoticed when Sales wore the pin on her left lapel as she announced she would be leaving 7.30 on February 10 but it was clearly a significant occasion for the presenter.
The lapel badge consists of the emblem of the Order, approximately 1cm in diameter with an enamelled blue centre
Sales, who has hosted 7.30 for 11 years, shocked viewers when she said she would quit the program after the federal election to spend more time with her ‘two beautiful little boys’.
‘I was appointed to the job on December 3, 2010,’ Sales said at the end of that night’s program.
‘This is my 12th year in the seat. That was five prime ministers ago. It was so long ago that Donald Trump was just a guy with a bad orange hair-do hosting The Apprentice.
‘There’s nothing wrong other than I just feel a strong sense of it being time to pass the baton to the next runner in the race and to take a break. At the end of an election cycle feels like a good time to move on to something new at the ABC.’
Sales said anchoring 7.30 has been ‘the most amazing job and I’ll never stop being grateful for the opportunities it’s given me’.
Sales did not wear her Order of Australia badge when she grilled Dominic Perrottet in October last year during his first major sit-down interview since becoming NSW premier
She had always tried ‘to ask frank questions of people in power, without fear or favour, that a fair-minded, reasonable person with some common sense watching at home might like to ask.’
Sales said she had ‘tried to shut down and call out bull****, hold powerful people to account, expose lies, incompetence and exaggeration in all political parties and all issues and present facts even when they’re unpopular or inconvenient.’
The three-time Walkley Award winner described a similar commitment to her profession when she was named an AM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List four years ago.
Rather than talk about her own achievements Sales used her appointment to urge Australians to demand more from their political leaders.
Sales, who has hosted 7.30 for 11 years, shocked viewers when she said she would quit the program after the federal election to spend more time with her ‘two beautiful little boys’. She is pictured at the opening of Muriel’s Wedding The Musical in Sydney in July 2019
‘The best way the Australian public can honour good journalism is by telling elected MPs that they demand freedom of information, accountability from people in power and a free press,’ Sales told The Australian at the time.
‘And journalists need to take that responsibility very seriously by being fair, balanced, accurate and accountable.’
Sales did make one personal reference to the gong, saying she wished she could have shared news of the honour with her late father.
‘When I told my mother, she said she wished my father were alive to see it and I wish that too,’ she said.
Landmark interviews with failed United States presidential candidate Hilary Clinton and music legend Sir Paul McCartney – which Sales has described as one of the greatest experiences of her life – came before she was made an AM.
The full-size medal of the Member of the Order of Australia is a badge with the gold-plated silver insignia of the Order in the centre.
The central insignia is inscribed with the word Australia in gold capital letters and the circle also contains two gold sprigs of mimosa.
The medal is hung from a royal blue ribbon with a central band of mimosa blossoms.
The lapel badge consists of the emblem of the Order, approximately 1cm in diameter, with an enamelled blue centre.
According to the Order of Australia Association the lapel badge may be worn on civilian clothes at any time.
Comment has been sought from Sales.
Sales did not wear her AM pin when she interviewed Scott Mr Morrison in September 2019, or during exchanges with the prime minister in March, July and October 2020, or May 2021. She is pictured interrogating Mr Morrison in July 2020
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