Peter Mares

Peter Mares is an award winning author and journalist with a special interest in migration, borders and human movement. During an expansive career which commenced with the ABC in 1987, he has reported on major political and legal issues from Australia and around the world.

Intelligent, articulate and deep thinking, Peter is highly regarded as a facilitator/ MC who asks thought provoking and insightful questions. Adept at making his audience and the presenters feel comfortable, he ensures events run smoothly, maximise engagement and communicate key messages.

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Peter Meres joined the ABC as a journalist and broadcaster in 1987. He became the presenter of The National Interest in January 2006, following the retirement of long-time host Terry Lane. Prior to that Peter worked for three years as the program’s producer.

Before joining The National Interest, Peter presented Asia Pacific on ABC Radio National and Radio Australia. He reported for ABC news and current affairs as a foreign correspondent based in Hanoi from 1995-1997 and hosted the weekly regional affairs program Indian Pacific on ABC Radio National from 1987-1995. Peter has won numerous awards as a journalist, including the 1995 NSW Law Society Golden Quill Award for excellence in legal reporting, the 2001 Austcare Media Award and the 2001 United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Prize.

Peter is the author of the book Borderline: Australia’s response to refugees and asylum seekers in the wake of the Tampa (UNSW Press 2002). Borderline won prizes in the 2001 Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards, the 2002 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and the 2001 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Human Rights Awards. It also received the 2001 Centre for Australian Cultural Studies Prize for an outstanding contribution to Australian cultural life. Peter has written numerous articles for magazines and newspapers and contributed chapters to several books. His writings have twice been included in the annual collection of Australia’s Best Essays published by Black Inc.

In addition to his position at ABC Radio National, Peter is an adjunct research fellow at the Institute of Social Research at Swinburne University of Technology, where he continues to pursue his interest in issues of migration, borders and human movement. He is a member of the advisory committee of the Adelaide Festival of Ideas, and has been a judge for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards (2004, 2007) and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Human Rights Awards (2003, 2005, 2006).