Lenore Taylor leaving the Guardian after 13 years

Nathan Jolly

February 11, 2026 9:35

Lenore Taylor leaving the Guardian after 13 years

Lenore Taylor was The Guardian Australia editor for a decade

Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor will leave the publication after 13 years at the masthead, including ten as editor.

According to the publication, Taylor is currently the longing serving editor of a news site or paper in the country, and the longest-serving female news editor in Australian history.

She was one of the founding staffers of Guardian Australia when it launched in 2013. She was initially political editor, and was appointed editor in May 2016. Under her editorship, the publication has won 12 Walkley Awards.

David Munk, a senior managing editor of The Guardian in London, will be interim editor while editor-in-chief Katharine Viner searches for a new editor.

“I’ve been musing on this decision for some time,” Taylor said in a statement. “But there’s always been another challenge, another big story or another reason to defer it. There’s always the next thing in a job that is so utterly exhilarating and all-consuming. But it is also utterly exhausting.

“Ten years is a long time to work at this pace. It leaves little time to care for yourself or for those you love. So, for many reasons, I have decided it’s time to pass the baton.

“Leading Guardian Australia’s coverage and nurturing and building such a brilliant and dedicated editorial team over the past 10 years has been an honour, a challenge and a lot of fun. I am so very proud of what we have achieved and the service we have provided to our readers.”

“When I started as editor the feedback I heard most often from readers was ‘thank goodness the Guardian has come to Australia’. What I hear most often now is ‘I can’t imagine Australia without the Guardian’. Neither can I.”

Viner credited Taylor for making Guardian Australia “a force to be reckoned with, sometimes through sheer strength of will”.

“Her hard work, commitment, editorial rigour and political insight have helped deliver journalism that sets the national agenda and driven much admiration from our ever-expanding audience.

“She leaves Guardian Australia very well-placed to navigate to the next stage of its evolution, as both a distinct edition and a crucial part of the Guardian’s global operation. I want to thank Lenore for her enormous contribution to Guardian Australia over the past 13 years.”