A recipient of four Walkley awards for journalism, Marr (pictured) is a distinguished author, biographer and commentator.
Marr’s appointment follows the high-profile appointments of Lenore Taylor as political editor and Katharine Murphy as deputy political editor.
Under the editorship of Katharine Viner, Guardian Australia will launch later this year and build on the “lively commentary, on-the-ground reporting and ground-breaking open journalism” that, with 1.2 million unique users already, has made Australia the Guardian's fourth largest market, says the Guardian.
David Marr said: “Discovering the Guardian in London in the 1970s was one of the reasons I decided to become a journalist. I’ve been reading it in print and online ever since and I’m looking forward to writing for one of the news organisations I most admire.”
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of Guardian Australia, said: “I have long admired David Marr as an immensely talented writer who can turn his hand to anything. His deep insights, journalistic skill and stylistic brilliance make him a thrilling addition to Guardian Australia. ”
Born in Sydney, David Marr is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most influential commentators writing on a broad range of subjects ranging from politics, censorship, the media and the arts. He has worked as a journalist since 1973, starting out as a writer for the Bulletin magazine and moving to the National Times where he became editor in 1981. He has also reported for ABC television’s Four Corners, presented for Radio National and hosted ABC’s Media Watch programme. Most recently he worked at the Sydney Morning Herald, leaving in July 2012. His highly acclaimed books include biographies of Sir Garfield Barwick, the Nobel laureate Patrick White and more recently biographical studies of prime ministers John Howard and Kevin Rudd. He is the recipient of four Walkley Awards for journalism.
