Stan Grant

Stan Grant (born 30 September 1963) is an Australian journalist, writer and radio and television presenter, since the 1990s.

He has written and spoken on Indigenous issues and his Aboriginal identity.

He is a Wiradjuri man.

Grant was born on 30 September 1963 in Griffith, New South Wales, the son of Stan Grant Sr, an elder of the Wiradjuri people and Betty Grant (nee Cameron), born near Coonabarabran, the daughter of a white woman and a Kamilaroi Aboriginal man.

The Wiradjuri are an Aboriginal Australian people from the south-west inland region of New South Wales.

He spent much of his childhood in inner Victoria, where the Wiradjuri people also have roots.

Grant spent his high school years in Canberra at Ginninderra High.

Grant has more than 30 years of experience working in broadcast radio and television news and current affairs.

He spent several years as a news presenter on the Australian Macquarie Radio Network, Seven, SBS, along with a long-term stint at CNN International as a Senior International Correspondent in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Beijing, before starting with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

In 1994, as host of the Seven Network current affairs programme Real Life Grant won the Logie Award for Most Popular Current Affairs Programme.

In 2007 he took on the role of co-presenter of the one-hour 6.30 pm SBS World News Australia bulletin, and also presented ABC Local Radio's Indigenous programme Speaking Out.

In December 2007, Grant resigned from SBS World News Australia and was replaced by Anton Enus.

In 2009 Grant was appointed UAE correspondent for CNN.

Based in CNN's new Abu Dhabi news-gathering and production centre, Grant covered stories from both the UAE and the surrounding region and hosted the programme Prism.

Grant returned to Australia in 2012 to help launch SBS' new National Indigenous Television (NITV) channel, and in 2013 hosted a nightly late night news programme NewsNight for Sky News Australia, which aired weeknights at 11pm.

From 2014 he started hosting Sky News Australia's Reporting Live with Stan Grant at 6pm, a nightly news programme reporting on the serious news stories of the day, and in April of that year he hosted Crimes that Shook Australia, a six-part television drama series broadcast on Foxtel.

In 2015 Grant took part in a public debate at the IQ2 stage of The Ethics Centre, with immigration lawyer Pallavi Sinha, Herald Sun columnist Rita Panahi and actor Jack Thompson to argue for or against the topic "Racism is destroying the Australian dream".

He told of the impact of colonisation on Indigenous Australians, past and present.

He argued that "the Australian Dream" was based upon racism, mentioning his ancestors and others who were forced into institutions and unpaid work.

The debate itself was a finalist in the United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Awards for "its role in stimulating public awareness and understanding".

In 2017, Grant joined the ABC as editor of Indigenous Affairs and fill-in host of nightly current affairs programme 7.30. Grant also hosted The Link, which aired on Friday nights.

In 2018 Grant started hosting a flagship national night current affairs programme, Matter of Fact, on the ABC News TV Channel and ABC News Radio.

He was also appointed chief Asia correspondent for the ABC News Network.

The program was cancelled after 10 months, ending on 29 November 2018, after which time he took up the new role of Indigenous and International Affairs Analyst with the ABC, concurrently with a professorship at Griffith University.

In 2019 Grant moved to Doha, capital city of Qatar, to start work with Al Jazeera English.

In September 2020, it was announced that Grant would become the ABC's International Affairs Analyst with the broadcaster noting his past journalistic experience in China affairs.

This was notable as the ABC reporters working in China, Bill Birtles and Mike Smith, were removed from China by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on advice from the Australian Security and Intelligence Organization, Australia's chief spy agency; the evacuation of the reporters led to a short diplomatic standoff.

In December 2020, Grant hosted a series of episodes about identity for the ABC's long form interview program One Plus One.

In 2021, Grant launched the ABC's China Tonight program – looking at Chinese culture and politics for an Australian audience.

In July 2022, it was announced that Grant will permanently host Q+A from 1 August.

In May 2023, Grant resigned from the show after receiving racial abuse following his participation in ABC's coverage of King Charles III's coronation.

In May 2023, Grant was invited by the ABC to be a commentator for the coverage of the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 6 May 2023.

His comments were related to the legacy of the monarch.

"I pointed out that the crown represents the invasion and theft of our land. In the name of the crown my people were segregated on missions and reserves. Police wearing the seal of the crown took children from their families. Under the crown our people were massacred."

This resulted in media commentary of a negative nature, and significant social media discussion that he described as "... a sordid spectacle. A grotesque burlesque. Lives are reduced to mockery and ridicule."

Grant was subject to abuse in the media that caused him to comment on Q&A on 15 May 2023 that he would leave the show at least temporarily after the next episode on 22 May.

Grant made a speech at the end of the 22 May show, explaining his decision, the hurt and the part he may have played in the media coverage of his recent statements on air and in the media.

He was supported by hundreds of ABC staff around the country walking out of office in support of Grant.

Many carried signs saying, "I stand with Stan".

ABC news director Justin Stevens told a crowd of hundreds outside the organisation's Sydney headquarters "enough is enough. The line in the sand is here, and we will not tolerate our staff being subjected to racial abuse, or any form of abuse. It must stop."