In 2000, Speers joined Sky News as a political editor.[5]
During his time with Sky News, Speers hosted the channel's flagship PM Agenda program Monday to Thursday afternoons. Additionally, he presented political updates and conducts interviews throughout the day on the 24-hour news channel.[6]
He also previously commuted from his home in Canberra once a week to Sky News' primary studios in
Sydney to host primetime program The Nation with David Speers[6] before the program ended in 2015. On 28 January 2016, Speers began hosting a new weekly Sky News format Speers Tonight from Canberra.[7][8][9]
In July 2023, Speers was appointed as ABC national political lead, a new position, following the departure of former political editor
Andrew Probyn.[11]
Speers has also written regular articles for financial website Switzer.[13]
Awards
Between 2006 and 2015, Speers has been awarded with an
ASTRA Award for "outstanding performance" by a presenter or journalist every year with the exception of 2010.[14][15] The awards were discontinued after 2015.[16]
Speers won a
Walkley Award in December 2014 for a notable interview with
Attorney GeneralGeorge Brandis, in which Brandis struggled to explain what
metadata was despite being the minister in charge of proposed new laws surrounding the storage and police access of metadata.[17][18] Speers won the same award at the 2015 event (which Speers also hosted) for his notable "The Fixer" interview with
Christopher Pyne on PM Agenda.[19]
In 2016, Speers was named one of the 50 most powerful people in Australian television by
News Corp Australia.[20]
Speers won the Subscription Television Award for Best Male Presenter at the 2017
AACTA Awards.[21]
Personal life
Speers' parents are Peter Speers and Robyn (née Cowled). He lives in Canberra,[22] and is married to Liz, with whom he has two children, born in 2010 and 2014.[23][24]
Speers plays the
trumpet and demonstrated this ability while hosting the 2010 ASTRA Awards.[25][26]