[1] Fran Kelly took over as host in March 2005; she announced her retirement from the position on 21 October 2021, saying that after 17 years, she needed to reclaim her sleep.
In November 2024, ABC announced that Patricia Karvelas will be stepping down as host in December and will replaced by Sally Sara from January 2025.
A weekend edition, called Saturday Extra, is hosted by journalist Geraldine Doogue and is broadcast from 7.30 am to 9.00 am AEST.
These include a mix of reports from ABC correspondents, reports from the BBC and CNN, as well as interviews with a variety of people, including federal and state politicians, prominent commentators, persons of interest, celebrities and ordinary people who are in the middle of news stories.
Former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, was known to be a fan of the program and regularly appeared for interviews.