Australian Story is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 May 1996, and since then it has continued to profile various Australian people, typically ones with a diverse background or notable reputation. In 2026 Australian Story is marking 30 years and more than 1,400 episodes.
Australian Story tends to explore themes such as 'heroic achievement', 'taking a stand' and 'human weakness'. This personal approach to story-telling has been well received by many, with the program winning many awards including multiple Walkley Awards for excellence in journalism and four consecutive Logie Awards (2003–2006). As of 2013, it attracted an average audience of more than one million viewers each week, making it one of the most popular programs on ABC Television.
Format Australian Story is a weekly half-hour program which airs on Mondays at 8pm (AEST). The program is categorised as a documentary style current affairs program. This hybrid categorisation is a result of the program's decision to present newsworthy stories without the presence of an onscreen reporter. Instead, the program aims to have subjects tell their own stories in their own words.
Each week the program presents a story relating to a notable figure or unknown Australian with an interesting story. These are referred to as profiles and they convey subjective experiences. Profiles account for both Australian celebrities and lesser known more ordinary Australians. The program has an intimate approach to storytelling. The subjects are filmed in relevant environments such as their respective home or workplace. Profiles also include footage of and confessionals made by relevant family and friends. Each profile on average, is filmed over a period of 10–12 days, and each episode has an eight-week turnaround.
Broadcast history In 1996 the ABC restructured its current affairs program The 7:30 Report, turning separate state editions into one centralised national program. As a result, The 7:30 Report had less scope for localised, human interest stories. ABC in Brisbane established Australian Story as a result of the restructuring, and they were given a remit for rural coverage. The program began screening on 29 May 1996.
Australian Story was initially supposed to be a series of small magazine-style stories. It quickly started focusing on one single story for each episode, this is the format it still uses today. Given it was shot predominantly outside of a studio and always without the presence of a reporter, Australian Story was originally considered to be a novelty current affairs program. Other unconventional elements included their camera work and pacing which were considered to be slow and cinematic. These characteristics of the show contribute to its classification as a documentary.
The first Australian Story episode featured three short stories:
- A Soldier's Journey Sir William Keys, a World War Two veteran and the former head of the RSL, Keys spoke about how he used Chinese medicine to combat his cancer. - Wild Stallion with horse breaker Robert Watchirs - Dante's Inferno with movie producer Neil Cameron
In 2016 Australian Story celebrated its 20th anniversary and broadcast a two-part special. The special acknowledged many notable stories covered since the program's inception, such as Hazel Hawke's Alzheimer's diagnosis, Australian actress Jacki Weaver's battle with alcoholism and Gail Shann's life in rural Queensland after losing her arms. The special revealed that over the span of 20 years Australian Story had covered over 800 stories.
Caroline Jones was previously the program's presenter and would introduce the subject at the beginning of an episode. Occasionally a high-profile person would fill this role, such one off presenters included the likes of Matt Damon, Elton John and Dawn Fraser. Jones announced she was leaving Australian Story at the end of 2016. As a result of her departure, it was decided that episodes would no longer be introduced by a presenter, although in 2023 the original format returned with Leigh Sales stepping into the role.
Episodes of Australian Story have always aired on a Monday night at 8:00pm (AEST) on ABC TV. and ABC iview. Episodes have been available weekly on ABC News In-Depth YouTube since 2017. In addition to this, episodes are made available via the Australian Story webpage and ABC iview.
Ratings Year Combined Average Audience 2012–13 1.3 million 2013–14 1.3 million 2014–15 1.3 million 2015–16 1.2 million 2016–17 1.1 million 2017–18 976,000 2018–19 999,000 2025 1.38m
Recognition and awards Year Awards 1997 Walkley Award for 'Best Current Affairs Report, Feature, Documentary or Special' to Ben Cheshire and Sophie Emtage for "Valentines Day" 1998Walkley Award for 'Coverage of Indigenous Affairs' to John Millard for "Camilla's Conversion"
Walkley Award for Cinematography to Laurence Mcmanus for "A Cold Wind in August" 1999 Melbourne Press Club Quill Award for 'Best Rural Story' to Tim Lee for "A Track Winding Back"
UNAA Media Peace Award for 'Best Television' to Tim Lee, Mara Blazic, Kent Gordon, Vince Tucci, Erik Havnen, Ro Woods, Colin Jones, and Stuart Palmer for "A Track Winding Back" 2000 United Nations Media Peace Award for 'Promotion of Multicultural Issues' to Australian Story for "Mild Colonial Boy"
National Youth Media Award for 'Best Television Current Affairs Program/Documentary' to Brigid Donovan for "Carve Their Names With Pride" 2001 Media Peace Award for 'Promotion of Aboriginal Reconciliation' to Ben Cheshire for "Bridge Over Myall Creek"
Australian Cinematographers Society Award QLD to Anthony Sines for "Something in the Air" 2002 Walkley Award for 'Current Affairs, Feature, Documentary more than 10 minutes' to Wendy Page and Ian Harley for "Murder He Wrote" 2003TV Week Logie Award for 'Most Outstanding Documentary Series' to Australian Story
Victorian Press Club Quill Award for 'Best TV Current Affairs Feature' to Belinda Hawkins, Mara Blazic and Roger Carter for "Being Allan Fells"
MEAA Queensland Media Award for 'Best Feature/Documentary' to Claire Forster for "Against The Tide"
MEAA Queensland Media Award for 'Best Cinematography' to John Bean for "With This Ring" 2004TV Week Logie Award for 'Most Outstanding Public Affairs Program' to Helen Grasshill, Quentin Davis, Katy Graham and Ian Harley for "The Big A" 2005 TV Week Logie Award for 'Most Outstanding Public Affairs Programme' to Ben Cheshire and John Stewart for "Into the Forest"
Walkley Award for Journalistic Leadership to Australian Story's Executive Producer Deborah Fleming
Walkley Award for 'Best long-form current affairs' to Helen Grasswill for "The Gathering Storm" 2006 TV Week Logie Award for 'Most Outstanding Public Affairs' to Helen Grasswill for "The Gathering Storm"
Walkley Award for 'Sport Feature' to Ben Cheshire, Jessica Daly and Kristine Taylor for "One Perfect Day"
Australian Sports Commission Media Award for 'Best Profiling of an Athlete, Team or Coach' to Ben Cheshire, Jessica Daly and Kristine Taylor for "One Perfect Day" 2007 Walkley Award for 'Best Sports Feature' to Wendy Page for "Man of the Century"
Australian Sports Commission Award for 'Best profiling of an Athlete, Team or Coach' to Wendy Page and Ian Harley for "Man of the Century" 2008TV Week Logie Award for 'Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report' to Brigid Donovan and Angela Leonardi for "Some Meaning in This Life"
Walkley Award for 'Best Sports Feature' to Ben Cheshire, Peter Wilkins and Quentin Davis for "She's Not There"
Walkley Award for 'Television News and Current Affairs Camera' to Andrew Taylor for "Show of Force"
Australian Sports Commission Media Award for 'Best Profiling of an Athlete, Team or Coach' to Ben Cheshire, Peter Wilkins and Quentin Davis for "She's Not There" 2009Australian Sports Commission Media Award for 'Best Profiling of an Athlete, Team or Coach' to Roger Carter for "When We Were Racers"
Suicide Prevention Australia Life Award to Belinda Hawkins, Elena Christie and Mara Blazic for "The Girl Least Likely"
Queensland Media Award for 'Best Current Affairs, Documentary or Feature' to Caitlin Shea and Kristine Taylor for "All The Pretty Horses" 2010Melbourne Press Club Quill Award for 'Best TV Current Affairs/Feature Over 10 minutes' to Belinda Hawkins, Elena Christie for "The Story of Samuel"
Victoria Law Foundation Legal Reporting Award for 'Best report: TV – long form' to Brigid Donovan and Elena Christie for "Cold Comfort Farm" 2023TV Week Logie Awards: Most Popular Current Affairs Program 2024TV Week Logie Awards: Best Current Affairs Program 2025TV Week Logie Awards: Best Current Affairs Program 2026Australian Screen Editors Guild Ellie Awards Best Editing in News & Current Affairs Winner: Andrew Cooke ASE (Australian Story Making Lachlan Murdoch – Part 2: Money) Highly commended: Angela Leonardi (Australian Story The River – Part 1 and 2)
NSW and ACT Current Affairs GOLD Tom Hancock (Australian Story "Betrayal -- The Story of Hannah Grundy")
Criticism Australian Story has received criticism due to the fact that it does not belong solely to one genre. The program is classified by the ABC as a News and Current Affairs Program as well as a documentary series. Australian Story's status as a documentary program though has been contested by Australian documentary filmmakers. This is because the program is a serial production made for a television network and from a formal broadcasting location. The program's status as a News and Current Affairs Program has also been questioned by academics who claim Australian Story exhibits a soft journalistic approach. Such critiques suggest the program has become a platform for people with high-profile stories who want to manage their image and the publicity surrounding it.
"The Road to Kerobokan" Australian Story aired an episode on 13 January 2006 entitled 'The Road to Kerobokan'. It detailed the story of Scott Rush, a 20-year-old Australian male who was on trial in Bali, Indonesia for his part in a heroin smuggling attempt. The episode aired only hours after Rush received a life sentence. Producers Helen Grasswill and Ruth Dexter chose not to disclose Rush's previous criminal misdemeanours in the episode per legal advice. This was because such information could damage Rush's appeal process. The episode still acknowledged that Rush had previous misdemeanours but did not detail them. The following morning on 14 February, the day after the Australian Story episode aired, the Queensland Courier-Mail published a front-page story with the headline 'Mule had history of crime'. This article exposed in more detail Rush's prior drug offences. In response, an episode of ABC's program Media Watch exposed that a negative sentiment was shared among many Australian Story viewers because the program had chosen not to disclose such information. As reported by Media Watch, Paul Toohey of Australian Magazine The Bulletin said 'whatever that Australian Story was, it was not journalism'. Such backlash has contributed to the idea that Australian Story is too soft on its subjects.
"Something in the Water"