The first election I remember vividly was Victoria in 2018. I would have just turned 11 years old and Dan Andrews was on his way to a second-straight victory. The only man to watch for results? Antony Green.
At this time I was still – of course – just gaining an interest in the news, politics and especially elections. I sat down on the couch with a notepad and wrote down all 88 seats in the lower house, then proceeded to colour-code each seat with one of those four-colour pens. The only place for me to get information that night was from watching the ABC’s broadcast and quickly scribbling down a new result every time the hosts went back to Green. I was still seated by the time he made his election call several hours later.
Only adding to the thrill for 11-year-old me was the fact that my local MP, John Pesutto, was on the ABC’s panel as results for the seemingly safe Liberal seat of Hawthorn came in and he lost his seat on-air.
Watching Green solidified my interest in the news and five months later I launched the channel known today as 6 News Australia. That of course didn’t end my interest in Green’s broadcasts and it wasn’t long before I was watching him on federal election night in 2019 as the Morrison miracle unfolded.
What really kept me watching (and I imagine I’m not the only one feeling this way) was just seeing someone explaining results so clearly – a huge contrast to some of the spin that we see on election-night panels. But it also helped explain terms that are now part of my election-related lexicon – swings, two-party-preferred, donkey votes – all basic now, but not when I was 11.
Green played a crucial role in shaping my understanding of Australian elections and I know for a fact that that applies to many other people my age as well. When he announced his retirement this week the first person I heard it from was a schoolmate. In a time when fewer and fewer young people are consuming traditional media Green has been a constant for Australians of all ages during election season.
Although presenting on 6 News has remained my focus on election nights, I’m open in saying that I will have the ABC election broadcast showing on another monitor, and all our other journalists will be watching as well – waiting for that final call. I also wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case with all other newsrooms across the country.
Something I believe has been under-appreciated about Green’s work is the stuff that’s not on air. This extends to extensive local, state and federal election guides, seat profiles and results analysis. In an age of increasing misinformation and disinformation about how Australian elections work – something Green himself has dealt with daily in tweets – having him as one of several clear, trustworthy sources to debunk lies is unbelievably important. He will still be working behind-the-scenes on election-related projects, which is great news for everyone looking for accurate data about how we vote as a nation.
While I won’t be old enough to vote at this year’s federal election, I feel confident in saying I’ll be able to go into the voting booth for the 2026 Victorian state election – eight years after I first tuned into one of Green’s election broadcasts – and be informed on my vote. I’ll still be presenting 6 News election coverage this year but I can’t say no to tuning into his final broadcast either. And I won’t be surprised if we see a federal “Division of Green” show up in the future.
Leo Puglisi is chief anchor and managing director at 6 News Australia
