AustLit

Journalist and news presenter Juanita Phillips began her career on the Courier-Mail newspaper, Brisbane, in 1982, when she left high school. After three years' backpacking and working in various jobs around the world she returned to Australia where she became a senior feature writer and columnist for the Courier-Mail.

In 1990 she began work as a current affairs journalist for Channel 10 and later moved to Sydney to be anchor of the Five O'clock News. She became the first prime-time news anchor for Sky News Australia in 1996.

In 1997 she moved to London. She became the anchor of the BBC World programme 'The World Today', beginning work the day before Diana, Princess of Wales was killed, and was involved in the BBC's international coverage of the princess's death and funeral.

After eight months she joined the American cable news network CNN, working in London and presenting a range of news and magazine programmes.

She returned to Australia in 2002 and became a presenter of the ABC's 7 pm news broadcast in Sydney.