From a country town to the world stage – 60 Minutes presenter Liz Hayes still can hardly believe her enduring career on the current affairs show.
As the iconic series celebrates its 40th year, Liz has been with the show for more than half its history.
However, she tells TV WEEK she was never attracted to the glamour of TV.
Having grown up in Taree in NSW, one of her first jobs when she moved to Sydney was working for TV WEEK. But she didn’t feel comfortable interviewing celebrities.
“I think I probably felt a country-town girl in the wrong place,” she recalls.
Then came a move to TV news, and a decade as co-host of Today.
In 1996, Liz was asked to join the 60 Minutes team. Seeing it as “grown-up journalism”, she didn’t hesitate.
The 60 minutes team
She says that, over the years, there have been stories that have tugged endlessly at her heart.
One memorable interviewee was Clare Oliver. The young Australian spoke to Liz just days before she died aged 26 in 2007 from melanoma she believed was caused by using solariums.
Another standout story featured Michael Drury.
In 1984, the undercover cop was shot twice through his kitchen window while his wife and young children were at home.
“I’m touched, constantly,” Liz, 61, says of the emotional stories.
“I have to try to switch off, because it can really grab you at the most inopportune times.
“It still gets me. I think the day it stops, I should probably give it up.”
The plight of refugees hit home for Liz in Sweden.
Liz has also found herself in some confronting situations over the years.
She admits to feeling “very nervous” in Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, when she was with white farmers who were being forced off their land.
Then, in Sweden, while reporting on the refugee crisis, the 60 Minutes crew was attacked right beside her.
“The Stockholm scenario was one which just took off and was not expected,” Liz recalls.
“Because you’ve got the camera, you stand out. A crowd can turn and that can be really nasty.”
But Liz says she never wants to put herself or anyone else in danger, and will always insist on travelling with security if she feels there’s a risk.
“I’m the ultimate coward,” she claims.
Despite the minor drawbacks, Liz is “very happy” to be committed to 60 Minutes for the next three years.
“I do like not knowing what’s happening tomorrow,” she says. “I’m keen to go wherever I have to go at a moment’s notice.”
