Zoe Daniel (born 28 November 1972)[2] is an Australian politician and former journalist. She was elected as the first independent member of parliament for the Division of Goldstein during the 2022 Australian federal election. Prior to entering Parliament, Zoe Daniel was a journalist for the ABC, from 1993 until 2020.[1] She was an ABC foreign correspondent in three different postings, including Southeast Asia, the USA and Africa. Her most recent posting was as the ABC’s US bureau chief between 2015 and 2019, where she led the ABC's coverage of the Presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton[3].[2]
Zoe Daniel worked as a journalist and foreign correspondent for the ABC from 1993 until 2020.[6]
Zoe Daniel's last role with the ABC was as the ABC's Bureau Chief in the US. Daniel wrote a book about her experience covering the 2016 Presidential campaign of Donald Trump, Greetings from Trumpland: How an unprecedented presidency changed everything.[3]
From 2009 until 2013, Daniel was the ABC's Southeast Asian correspondent.[10] At the time, Daniel's posting while a mother of young children was unprecedented for ABC correspondents.[11] During her time there she reported on the 2010 Thai political protests and interviewed Aung San Suu Kyi.[12]
After 27 years with ABC News, Daniel decided to finish her career with the organisation, leaving in July 2020.[13][14]
Daniel is a self-described swinging voter, as a consequence of her father's "negative experience of party politics".[19] She describes herself as a "social progressive, economic conservative".[20][21] She cast her vote for the Liberals at the 2016 Australian federal election on the basis of what she perceived to be Malcolm Turnbull's commitment to addressing the climate crisis.[22] During the campaign, she stated that she had campaigned for "faster and stronger action on climate change, restoration of integrity and trust in politics and real equality and safety for women."[23]
Daniel was successful at the 2022 election, defeating the incumbent Liberal MP, Tim Wilson in what had been a safe seat.[25]
Daniel publicly stated on X that she supported the raising of the Palestinian flag. [26]
In October 2024, Daniel was referred to the Federal anti-corruption commission by Former Liberal MP Jason Falinski for allegedly misusing taxpayer-funded staff to lobby on behalf of Daniel's campaign donor, Simon Holmes à Court.[27] After the referral became public, Daniel stated in a media release that the staff member who was alleged to have lobbied on behalf of Simon Holmes a Court did so without Daniel's knowledge and was not employed by the Commonwealth at the time. Daniel further claimed the staff member contacted the Australian Financial Review not to lobby on Holmes à Court's behalf, but to instead disperse a concern that the paper would imply in an upcoming article that Holmes à Court "holds a position of male power over the female community independents on the crossbench"[28]
Zoe Daniel is married to husband Rowan and has two children.[10] She and her family moved to their current home in Hampton in 2013 and her children attended Sandringham Primary School.[16]
Zoe Daniel is a keen sportswoman who regularly runs and swims. She is a supporter and member of the Essendon Football Club.[29]
^Daniel, Zoe. "Zoe Daniel – Posts Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2022. I've decided to leave ABC news after 27 years...