Freya Leach’s Sky has fallen in, but what will be the punishment? Probably nothing

1 week ago 7

Opinion

September 30, 2025 — 3.57pm

Spare a thought for Freya Leach, one-time host of dismantled Sky News Australia After Dark offering Freya Fires Up. On Monday this week, her dream job, hosting a political panel show, was pulled from under her. Leach has more right than most to us to say she was just following orders, sir.

When she allowed an unchecked Islamophobe on her show last week alongside an unchecked transphobe, one could argue she was just following orders. Or precedent.

Sky News has a long history of broadcasting hate. To me, it looks like current CEO Paul Whittaker has zero interest in changing that behaviour. According to beloved Media Watch, Whittaker and acting head of programs James Birtles knew of Leach’s guest list and did nothing. Took Mark Calvert, experienced media hand and just back from medical leave, to take action.

Leach lost her star vehicle. My guess? It’s just parked; someone somewhere sees potential. She remains with Sky as co-host of The Late Show. Her barely experienced producer was let go.

What to do when something is so reprehensible you desperately want to do something? Sigh. In Australia, there’s not much. First make a complaint to the broadcaster itself. Not happy? Make a complaint to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). No teeth, guts, gumption. ACMA tells me it has received no complaints – but then, who’s watching this rubbish?

There will be no effective punishment, no effective follow-up to this behaviour. Maybe a tiny slap on the wrist. For your delectation, may I present Kyle Sandilands, enthusiast of broadcast vulgarity? Breaches, no consequences.

On Sky, we’ve had Nazis, climate denial, rampant misogyny, violence, the whole damned box and dice, but what do broadcasters like this get as punishment? Sent to a re-education camp which inevitably fails. How do viewers feel about this tosh? Who would know: last year, Australia’s official television measurement body, OzTAM, confirmed Foxtel will no longer be included in its datasets.

There is an appetite for a better regulator and not one channelled through the broadcasters themselves. David Pocock, independent senator for the ACT and good troublemaker, says we need a regulator with the powers it needs to be effective in combating mis- and disinformation.“Numerous deficiencies have been identified with ACMA’s regulatory powers and enforcement across a range of its responsibilities,” he says.

The University of Melbourne’s Denis Muller argues ACMA needs root and branch reform. He’s not wrong. Created by former prime minister John Howard, it’s a “co-regulator”. In other words, it requires the media industry to produce its own standards. Haha. ACMA has the power to suspend or cancel. “But they don’t have the power of life and death,” says Muller. And Terry Flew, the University of Sydney’s professor of digital communication, says the eSafety Commission is more nimble in response to complaints.

If Sky is to survive, it must broaden its reach. It’s a failure now. It doesn’t need to be. Get rid of the trash and expand your repertoire of excellent reporters.

Freya Leach ran as the unsuccessful Liberal candidate for the NSW state seat of Balmain.

Want a job at Sky? Be a failed Liberal candidate for a never blue inner-city Sydney seat. Political analyst Ben Raue of The Tally Room, tells me Leach’s claim on her LinkedIn that she beat the statewide swing against the state Liberal Party by a substantial margin and was able to block Labor from winning the seat, preventing a majority Labor state government, is a stretch. About one in five people in that seat vote Liberal. Small base. Not going anywhere.

As far as I can tell, Leach’s entire previous media experience was whining to this masthead she’d been targeted by law lecturers at the University of Sydney in an exam. One of her former classmates described her as experiencing main character syndrome.

That syndrome must have been what attracted Sky After Dark to this young woman whose behaviour on air was among the most awkward and least prepared I have ever seen in my life (although check out my appearances on the ABC’s much lamented The Drum – at least no one was paying me).

When Sky announced Leach was cancelled on Monday, it wasn’t exactly clear why. She’d already apologised: “Look, I’ve just been told we do have to apologise for what was just aired, those comments earlier, but we’re going to continue now with our interview with Joey.” Joey was the transphobe.

Note that language: “I’ve just been told ...”

That’s her being told to apologise. A barely more contrite effort arrived this week, with the robotic appearance of someone whose AI prompter had failed. Certainly her natural intelligence did. LinkedIn tells me her ATAR was 99.75 and dux of the troubled St Andrews Cathedral School.

Let’s return to her rubbish employers. From the top down, these people promote misinformation and disinformation. Paul Whittaker should be ashamed of himself, if shame is in his toolkit. I fear it’s not. Whittaker’s nickname is Boris Becker, after a bloke who also considers himself a star and shares his colouring.

It’s apparent some broadcasters have no shame. And there are no regulators to enforce shame. When friends reported the Channel Seven Step Outside fishing program for encouraging violence against women, it took weeks for results. But I’m not seeing any hosts, guests, producers etc punished for the stupidity of their remarks. A few fat fines should be headed their way. Sky, for example, apparently followed its own rules to a T when it broadcast that nonsense last week. Help.

ACMA is trying to hold Optus to account for its utter failure as a telco. If only the regulator could do for radio and television too. Time for the government and the newish minister for communication, Anika Wells, to step up. Time to change the rules.

Jenna Price is a regular columnist.

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