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The Project (Australian TV program)

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The Project
Company typeTelevision program
IndustryNews broadcasting, Current affairs
FoundedJuly 20, 2009; 17 years ago (2009-07-20)
FounderRoving Enterprises
DefunctJune 27, 2025 (2025-06-27)
FateEnded
Headquarters
Melbourne, Sydney
,
Australia
Area served
Australia
Key people
Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris, Georgie Tunny, Hamish Macdonald, Rove McManus, Sam Taunton, Susie Youssef
ProductsTelevision program
OwnerNetwork 10
ParentRoving Enterprises

The Project—initially launched as The 7PM Project' from 2009 to 2011—is an Australian panel show focused on news, current affairs, and discussion, aired on Network 10 and produced by Roving Enterprises. The final roster of hosts featured Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris, Georgie Tunny, Hamish Macdonald, Rove McManus, Sam Taunton, and Susie Youssef, with a rotation of regular panellists typically appearing on a weekly basis.

Premiering on 20 July 2009, the program began as a 30-minute show before expanding to an hour. It was broadcast live every evening except Saturdays in the eastern states, with delayed telecasts in other regions. Weekday editions were produced from Network 10’s Melbourne studio at The Como Centre, South Yarra, while Sunday episodes originated from Sydney’s Pyrmont studios. The Project blended news reporting with humor, frequently offering alternative viewpoints on mainstream media stories. The show aired throughout most of the year—approximately 51 weeks—taking a short hiatus during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

Throughout its run, the series garnered considerable acclaim, securing 11 Logie Awards, including the coveted Gold Logie which was awarded to hosts Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly.

On 9 June 2025, Network 10 revealed plans to retire The Project by 30 June as part of a broader programming shift, replacing it with a new current affairs show titled 10 News+. The final broadcast took place on 27 June.

Following the conclusion of the series, The Project’’ maintained its social media presence for several weeks after the finale aired.

Format

The ultimate hosting ensemble consisted of Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris, Georgie Tunny, Hamish Macdonald, Rove McManus, Sam Taunton, and Susie Youssef, supplemented by other frequent panellists appearing throughout the week. Notable recurring contributors included: Kate Langbroek, Steve Price, Nick Cody, James Mathison, Ruby Rose, Liz Ellis, Max Rushden, Hugh Riminton, Chrissie Swan, Elise Elliott, Narelda Jacobs, Dave Thornton, Tom Cashman, Kitty Flanagan, Nikki Britton, Nazeem Hussain, Chris Brown, Dilruk Jayasinha, Nath Valvo, Myf Warhurst, Jan Fran, Alex Lee, Claire Hooper, Jessie Stephens, Tara Rushton, Natarsha Belling, Tom Tilley and Sharyn Ghidella. The hosts regularly connected with special guests and live correspondents via satellite feeds. Additionally, the program featured pre-recorded interviews with celebrities alongside entertaining yet insightful segments presented by the main cast.

Hosts

... [Table continues similarly] ...
Presenter Seasons
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Carrie Bickmore colspan="14" Template:Yes2
Charlie Pickering colspan="6" Template:Yes2
Dave Hughes colspan="5" Template:Yes2
Peter Helliar colspan="9" Template:Yes2
Rove McManus colspan="1" Template:Yes2 colspan("3") Template:Yes2
Waleed Aly colspan("11") Template:Yes2
Gorgi Coghlan colspan("12") Template:Yes2
Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann colspan("8") Template:Yes2
Hamish Macdonald colspan("4") Template:Yes2 colspan("5") Template:Yes2
Tommy Little Template:Yes2 style("background:#ececec;color:gray;text-align:center") class("table-na")|
Presenter Role Days Tenure
Dave Hughes Co-host Monday–Thursday 2009–2013
Charlie Pickering Co-host Monday–Friday 2009–2014

On 8 December 2013, Dave Hughes departed to concentrate on his stand-up comedy career. His farewell was commemorated by co-hosts Bickmore and Pickering on 11 December.

Charlie Pickering declared his exit on 12 March 2014 and officially left on 7 April. Between August and December of that year, Rove McManus joined as co-host alongside Helliar and Bickmore.

Gorgi Coghlan served as host for Friday evenings until Lisa Wilkinson replaced her in 2017; however, Coghlan continued contributing as a panellist until May 2021.

From 2016 until January 2019, Hamish Macdonald helmed The Sunday Project before stepping down due to other professional obligations. Peter van Onselen succeeded him temporarily. Macdonald resumed co-hosting duties in September 2021.

After thirteen years with the show, Carrie Bickmore announced her resignation in November 2022, making her final regular appearance on the 30th of that month. Lisa Wilkinson also left in November citing "relentless toxicity," followed by Peter Helliar's departure in December. Tommy Little exited at the end of the same year.

Towards late 2022, Sarah Harris joined the team to succeed Bickmore for the upcoming year. Sam Taunton took over Helliar’s role as Monday–Thursday co-host alongside Aly and Harris, while Michael Hing assumed hosting responsibilities for Fridays and Sundays after Little’s exit. Early in 2023, Rove McManus returned to co-host Fridays.

Michael Hing announced his intention to leave in December 2024 effective in early 2025. Subsequently, Susie Youssef stepped into the Friday hosting role with Taunton expanding to include Sunday hosting duties.

Alternates

Panel Members

Reporters

  • Lucy McDonald – United Kingdom
  • Phoebe Bowden – United Kingdom (10 News First Correspondent)
  • Eammon Atkinson – United States (10 News First Correspondent)
  • Jonathan Hyla – United States
  • Michael Williams – United States

Background

Season 1: 2009

The series debuted on 20 July 2009, broadcasting live every weeknight from 7:00 to 7:30 pm. Produced by Roving Enterprises—co-owned by Rove McManus and Craig Campbell—the inaugural season featured guests such as MasterChef Australia champion Julie Goodwin alongside interviews with Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols. Ruby Rose and James Mathison were listed as principal cast members but mainly appeared in guest or pre-recorded segments.

To increase audience engagement during the summer of 2009, episodes on Mondays and Fridays were expanded to a full hour and rerun late at night to attract additional viewers. On 30 November 2009, the program underwent a visual update with enhanced lighting and a summery-themed set showcasing blue skies and warmer hues. New title sequences were introduced to complement this refreshed design. Nevertheless, by February 2010 Channel 10 ceased the late-night repeat broadcasts that had been part of its strategy to broaden the viewer base.

Series 2: 2010

Throughout the 2010 non-daylight saving months, the program reverted to a nighttime visual theme featuring orange and brown hues, though these were toned down compared to 2009, and introduced a large backdrop screen.

Carrie Bickmore and Charlie Pickering earned Logie Award nominations for Most Popular New Female and Male Talent, respectively. In June 2010, Network Ten confirmed the series would continue for an additional year.

On 20 July 2010, the show celebrated its first anniversary with appearances from regular contributors Kitty Flanagan, Steve Price, and MasterChef contestant Alvin Quah, presenting a look back at highlights from its inaugural year.

Starting 27 December 2010, a five-episode summer edition titled The Holiday Project aired, featuring Charlie Pickering and Dave Hughes revisiting notable segments and news stories from 2010. Carrie Bickmore and other guest hosts did not participate in this series.

Series 3: 2011

The program resumed broadcasting on 3 January 2011. Following the passing of Carrie Bickmore’s husband, guest hosts temporarily filled her role until her return on 14 February. George Negus concluded his recurring guest appearances to focus on hosting his own current affairs show.

On 10 March 2011, the series secured an exclusive Australian interview with actor Charlie Sheen, conducted by regular panelist Scott Dooley. The interview was broadcast on 11 March amid significant media coverage surrounding Sheen’s personal controversies.

To coincide with the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, Network Ten aired a special one-hour episode titled The Wedding Project on 29 April 2011, which achieved moderate viewership.

On 9 June 2011, "St Kilda Schoolgirl" Kim Duthie featured in a pre-recorded segment retracting previous allegations involving AFL agent Ricky Nixon. The interview attracted attention when an off-air remark exposing her dishonesty was inadvertently aired live.

Facing rating pressures as it approached its second anniversary, the program scheduled special episodes during the week of 11 July featuring Australian political figures such as Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Bob Katter, and Adam Bandt. The following week invited members of the public holding strong opinions to participate in discussions.

The show marked its 500th episode on 18 July with panellist Louise Benjamin and Jennifer Byrne joining the regular cast. Its second anniversary was observed on 20 July with panellist Kim Forrester and Andrew Rochford appearing alongside the main hosts.

In recognition of the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the program aired features exploring the long-term effects of that event.

September saw comedian Tom Ballard introduce a weekly "Resident Expert" segment that combined humor with discussions on current scientific and social research, complementing Kitty Flanagan’s established Tuesday slot.

On 19 October 2011, Network Ten announced that the show would move from its 7 pm timeslot to 6:30 pm—replacing 6.30 with George Negus—and be extended to one hour under a new title, The Project. The inaugural hour-long episode aired on 31 October.

As in previous years, Network Ten continued broadcasting The Project during summer to maintain audience engagement while competitors aired off-season content. The program took a short Christmas hiatus during which a "best of" compilation series was shown.

Series 4: 2012

The Project recommenced airing new episodes on 2 January 2012.

Starting 22 January, a half-hour Sunday edition was introduced at 6 pm, while the weeknight hour-long broadcasts moved to the 6 pm timeslot from 23 January onward. The Sunday program also debuted a weekly weather segment.

On 14 February, actress and comedian Magda Szubanski came out as gay during the show, expressing her support for marriage equality.

A special broadcast took place on 8 March at 8 pm, featuring an uncut screening of the documentary Kony 2012 followed by a discussion regarding the international campaign against Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony.

At the 2012 Logie Awards, The Project earned nominations for Most Popular and Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program. News presenter Carrie Bickmore was also nominated for Most Popular Television Presenter as well as the prestigious Gold Logie.

Between 24 and 29 June, the program was broadcast live from Sydney, hosting guests such as Carrie Underwood and Katy Perry.

On 12 July, an emotional segment featured Queensland mother Emma Rathie, who was terminally ill with cancer. Her young son completed a 'bucket list' with her prior to her passing in September. This story garnered considerable viewer empathy and led to substantial donations through Facebook.

On 7 August, guest Will Ferrell conducted a lighthearted interview with Prime Minister Julia Gillard via video link, humorously seeking advice on hair care.

Co-hosts took planned absences: Pickering departed in late October to cover the US elections and for personal reasons; Hughes took leave in December.

On 29 August, Carrie Bickmore’s accidental mispronunciation of 'Qantas' as 'Cuntas' during the news segment went viral, amassing over 250,000 views on YouTube.

The final half-hour Sunday edition aired on 25 November, hosted by Carrie Bickmore and Andrew Rochford with panellists Magdalena Roze and Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann.

In 2012, The Project received multiple accolades including the Yooralla Media Award of Distinction at the National Disability Awards.

Following the cancellation of Breakfast, reruns of The Project were shifted from early weekday mornings to slots after TEN Late News.

Series 5: 2013

The Project returned with fresh episodes beginning on 31 December 2012, marking its first season launch before the new calendar year and including broadcasts on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

In response to the Queensland floods in 2013, a dedicated live edition tailored for Queensland viewers aired on 28 January. Due to time zone differences, a second live show was recorded after the primary broadcast to be shown at Queensland’s usual 6:30 pm slot, replacing the main program locally.

At the 2013 Logie Awards, The Project garnered three nominations: Carrie Bickmore for both Gold and Silver Logies as Most Popular Presenter, along with a nod for Most Popular Light Entertainment Program. However, it did not secure any wins that year.

On 9 April, John Lydon of the Sex Pistols caused controversy during his interview with host Carrie Bickmore by repeatedly telling her to "shut up" and making sexist remarks. The turbulent exchange ended abruptly when co-host Dave Hughes terminated the interview early. Bickmore later expressed her frustration over Lydon’s conduct, concurring with co-host Andrew Rochford’s view that his behavior was misogynistic.

The milestone 1,000th episode aired on 30 April 2013.

On 2 May, Bickmore became visibly emotional while discussing brain cancer awareness following a report about a potential breakthrough. Having lost her husband to brain cancer in 2010, this marked her first public acknowledgment on-air of her personal connection to the disease and its significant physical and psychological toll.

On 7 September, The Project presented a live election special titled The Election Project with Hugh Riminton, covering results from Eastern Seaboard booth closures until approximately 10:30 pm. Unlike its coverage in 2010, this four-hour and twenty-minute broadcast was aired live nationwide simultaneously, making it the longest in the show’s history.

On 1 November, British singer Melanie Brown withdrew from a planned guest co-host role after Channel Seven threatened legal action due to contractual obligations with their network.

On 24 November, US actor-comedian Will Ferrell appeared as guest co-host portraying his character Ron Burgundy from Anchorman 2. During his promotional visit to Australia, he engaged in comedic exchanges with co-host Ray Martin.

On 8 December, regular host Dave Hughes announced his departure from The Project to concentrate on a national stand-up comedy tour scheduled for 2014. His final episode aired on 11 December 2013.

Series 6: 2014

Peter Helliar joined The Project as a new co-host on 13 January 2014, receiving a range of reactions. On 12 March, Charlie Pickering revealed he would be leaving the show effective 7 April, marking the second presenter to exit within half a year. Subsequently, on 14 July, Ten declared that Rove McManus would take over Pickering’s role for the remainder of the year alongside Helliar and Bickmore; McManus departed on 4 December.

During her concluding "Eye on..." segment on 9 December, Kitty Flanagan ignited controversy by asserting that Santa Claus was not real. Due to the program’s early evening slot, these comments caused viewer backlash, leading to an official apology and a live broadcast connecting to Santa at the North Pole during the following episode.

In December 2014, Waleed Aly was officially announced as a permanent co-host, beginning his role on 26 January 2015.

Series 7: 2015

In September 2015, Andrew Guy made history as Australia’s first openly transgender television presenter by guest hosting on The Project.

In November, Waleed Aly presented a powerful five-minute segment titled 'What ISIL wants,' condemning the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in response to the Paris attacks earlier that month. Aly referred to ISIS as 'bastards' and called for solidarity against their actions. This segment attracted widespread media attention and substantial online viewership.

Series 8: 2016

Series 9: 2017

Starting from 27 August 2017, The Project returned to Sunday evenings for the first time since 2012 with a new edition called The Sunday Project. This format featured Peter Helliar accompanied by a rotating panel instead of regular hosts Waleed Aly or Carrie Bickmore. During 2017, hosting duties were carried out by Hamish Macdonald and Chris Bath.

In October 2017, Network Ten secured Lisa Wilkinson after her departure from Nine Network due to contractual disagreements. Beginning January 2018, Wilkinson joined The Project as senior host, editor, and co-host of The Sunday Project, appearing twice weekly.

On 20 February 2017, a New Zealand adaptation of The Project premiered on Channel Three, modeled closely on the Australian version.

Series 10: 2018

Series 11: 2019

On 19 July 2019, The Project celebrated its tenth anniversary with a special extended episode lasting ninety minutes during its landmark 2700th broadcast.

Series 12: 2020

In January 2020, Peter van Onselen succeeded Hamish Macdonald as host of The Sunday Project and became a frequent substitute for Waleed Aly. Macdonald maintained occasional appearances while continuing his responsibilities at ABC.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic declaration from 13 March onwards, The Project implemented social distancing measures by eliminating its live studio audience, restricting guest interviews, and having three hosts present in-studio with the fourth participating via video link—except on Fridays and Sundays between mid-June and mid-August when the fourth host occupied an additional stool beside the bench.

Series 13: 2021

Throughout 2020–2021, filming continued without a live studio audience in both Sydney and Melbourne.

In June 2021, it was announced that Hamish Macdonald would return as co-host of The Sunday Project alongside Lisa Wilkinson starting in September, while Peter van Onselen resumed his position as Network Ten’s political editor.

Series 14: 2022

In March 2022, Carrie Bickmore commenced a leave of absence, during which Chrissie Swan and Georgie Tunny took over hosting duties—Swan on Mondays, and Tunny covering Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Bickmore made her return in July.

By August, Georgie Tunny had joined the team as a reporter, producer, and co-host. Later in October, Bickmore announced she would be leaving the show at the end of the year.

In November, Wilkinson exited the program immediately, with Peter Helliar following suit shortly after, departing on 7 December.

Series 15: 2023

On 23 November 2022, Network 10 revealed Sarah Harris as Bickmore’s successor, stepping in as a co-host five nights a week from Sunday to Thursday alongside Waleed Aly (Monday through Thursday). Hamish Macdonald maintained his role co-hosting on Fridays and Sundays while continuing his national reporting. Georgie Tunny resumed a regular Friday co-host position.

On 18 December, comedians Sam Taunton and Michael Hing were introduced as regular panel co-hosts for the 2023 season, filling the roles vacated by Peter Helliar and Tommy Little.

Series 16: 2024

The Project returned for its 2024 season with all existing hosts back. Sarah Harris reduced her hosting schedule to four days weekly, with Georgie Tunny assuming hosting responsibilities on Thursdays and Fridays.

Series 17: 2025

On 17 January 2025, Network 10 announced that Michael Hing would not continue as a host on Fridays and Sundays. Consequently, the show adopted a three-host format on Fridays featuring Rove McManus, Georgie Tunny, and Susie Youssef. Sam Taunton replaced Hing on Sundays, taking on hosting duties five nights a week. Early in the year, Myf Warhurst served as a temporary substitute for Youssef.

2025 Cancellation

Network 10 confirmed on 9 June 2025 that The Project would be discontinued and succeeded by a new current affairs program. The series finale aired on 27 June and included guest appearances from former hosts Carrie Bickmore, Dave Hughes, Charlie Pickering, and Pete Helliar.

Following cancellation, The Project’s social media platforms remained active, continuing to post daily updates.

Special episodes

The Election Project

A one-hour special titled The Election Project, focusing on the 2010 Federal Election, was broadcast on 21 August 2010—marking the program’s inaugural weekend airing. Guests featured Hugh Riminton and George Negus. The special drew an audience of 459,000 viewers, placing it eleventh in nightly ratings. The event returned for the 2013 election with an extended broadcast lasting four hours and twenty-three minutes—the longest in the show's history. Riminton joined regular panelists Steve Price and Natasha Stott Despoja, alongside candidates from Labor and Liberal parties. This edition attracted 306,000 viewers.

While most states received the full hour-long broadcast on Channel Ten, Adelaide viewers only saw thirty minutes due to football scheduling conflicts, which may have affected viewership figures.

This marked Channel Ten’s first comprehensive national election coverage since the mid-1990s, diverging from its usual alternative programming approach.

The Games Project

The Games Project offered coverage of the 2010 Commonwealth Games featuring guests such as Nicole Livingstone. This hour-long special aired prior to the Opening Ceremony; however, only thirty minutes were broadcast in Adelaide, and it did not air at all in Perth or Brisbane. The program attracted an audience of 301,000 viewers.

The Wedding Project

The Wedding Project was broadcast on 29 April 2011 as an extended Friday edition dedicated to the royal wedding. The episode was hosted by Hughes and Pickering, featuring panelists Angela Bishop and Tracey Curro, and aired for a full hour across all metropolitan areas. Carrie Bickmore delivered live reports from the United Kingdom, joined by Lucy McDonald and Hamish Macdonald.

Former Rove Live regulars Hamish Blake and Andy Lee contributed segments connected to their radio show, The Hamish and Andy Show, including features titled See No Evil Hear No Evil and Hungry Hungry Heroes.

The Project Special: Kony 2012

At 8 PM on 8 March 2012, The Project Special: Kony 2012 aired as an additional broadcast supplementing the usual 6 PM episode. Hosted by Charlie Pickering, Carrie Bickmore, and Todd Sampson from The Gruen Transfer, this special focused on war criminal Joseph Kony and the social media movement aimed at bringing him to justice.

The Project: 10th Birthday

To celebrate its tenth year on air, The Project presented a 90-minute special during its 2700th episode on 19 July 2019.

The Love Australia Project

In May 2020, The Project collaborated with Tourism Australia to produce The Love Australia Project, which aired on 15 May 2020. This special concentrated on the recovery of the tourism industry amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring insights from business leaders and government officials. Hosted by Lisa Wilkinson and Chris Brown with panelists Tommy Little and Rachel Corbett, it explored the challenges faced by tourism along with potential solutions.

The Project Presents 9/11: 20 Years On

On 7 September 2021, co-host Carrie Bickmore led a special commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The program revisited survivors and families previously interviewed, offering updates on their lives two decades after the event.

Reception

Ratings: 2009

The 7PM Project debuted with an audience of 1.285 million viewers but saw a decline in subsequent episodes, averaging approximately 0.938 million viewers during its first week and falling to about 0.739 million in its second week. Viewer numbers stabilized between 700,000 and 750,000, occasionally dropping below the 690,000 mark.

By late May 2010, the show achieved a metropolitan national audience exceeding one million for the first time. An airing outside the official ratings period attracted 826,000 viewers, substantially higher than recent averages near 650,000.

Ratings: 2010

Early in the year, ratings were modest but began to improve from late March onward. By the conclusion of The Biggest Loser fifth season, viewership consistently surpassed 700,000. The end of daylight saving time in certain states also boosted ratings for early evening programs such as The 7PM Project. Audience numbers increased further with the return of the network’s flagship reality series MasterChef Australia.

On 3 June 2010, The 7PM Project attracted just under 1.1 million viewers—its first time exceeding one million since debut—winning key demographics as well as total viewers. Its one-year anniversary special on 20 July 2010 drew an audience of 1,207,000, securing its timeslot victory and becoming the highest-rated episode to date.

Ratings: 2011

When the program resumed on 3 January 2011, it drew an audience of 680,000 following a summer series that had struggled with low ratings. The subsequent week saw a drop to 496,000 viewers, largely due to extended news coverage of the 2010–2011 Queensland floods which placed competing current affairs programs Today Tonight and A Current Affair in direct rivalry with The 7PM Project. For that week, the show ranked 36th nationally, averaging 657,000 viewers.

On 2 May 2011, the program briefly exceeded one million viewers—the sole occasion this occurred throughout the year. Generally, audience numbers remained steady between 750,000 and 800,000 nightly, seldom surpassing 850,000 or dropping below 600,000.

During its original 6:30 pm broadcast slot, The Project attracted 571,000 viewers, placing fourth in its timeslot and becoming the third most-watched program on Network Ten that evening.

Ratings: 2012

The debut Sunday edition pulled in 392,000 viewers, ranking fourth in its timeslot but subsequently maintaining figures consistently above 400,000. Network Ten noted that shifting the show to a 6 pm start resulted in a 22% increase in their audience during the 6–7 pm hour.

Beginning on 16 April 2012, ratings were reported in half-hour intervals to provide more detailed insights into viewer engagement. On this date, The Project recorded an audience of 649,000 between 6:30 and 7:00 pm and 506,000 from 6:00 to 6:30 pm.

Ratings: 2013

In 2013, The Project encountered difficulties with most episodes failing to exceed half a million viewers and frequently missing the national top 20 for nightly programs. During the Easter non-ratings period, viewership improved to 582,000 on 1 April. The milestone 1000th episode aired on 30 April attracted 493,000 viewers but rebounded to 610,000 the following night. By August, average audiences increased to approximately 700,000 with occasional peaks near one million—an overall growth of around four percent compared to 2012—particularly within the key demographic aged 25–54.

Ratings: 2014

Ratings at the start of 2014 were generally weak, with some episodes drawing fewer than 300,000 viewers. Nonetheless, numbers improved later in the year; notably, an exclusive interview broadcast on 6 October achieved over 1.1 million viewers—the highest ever recorded for the program.

Ratings: 2015

Throughout 2015, The Project sustained stable ratings ranging from 600,000 to 700,000 viewers Monday through Thursday. Engagement was significantly enhanced by special interviews and segments such as Waleed Aly’s "Something we should talk about," co-authored with managing editor Tom Whitty. Several of these videos surpassed one million views across social media platforms.

Controversy

The show has been involved in numerous controversies affecting its public image. In July 2012, an on-air joke by actor Hugh Sheridan attracted criticism for offending Aboriginal communities. In August 2014, Senator Eric Abetz faced media backlash after linking abortion with breast cancer during an appearance. A contentious exchange between host Waleed Aly and former terror suspect Zaky Mallah in June 2015 divided audience opinion.

In March 2016, the program mistakenly used a photograph of rapper Ror Akot when discussing South Sudanese gang violence, causing reputational harm to Akot. In May 2017, tennis icon Margaret Court criticized the show for its treatment of her comments regarding same-sex marriage promotion by Qantas.

The satirical overdubbing of an anti-same-sex marriage advertisement in August 2017 generated controversy across different viewpoints within the debate. During the devastating bushfire season of 2019–20, a misrepresented clip involving a volunteer firefighter and Prime Minister Scott Morrison led to public misunderstanding and prompted an apology from Aly.

In 2023, guest panelist Reuben Kaye’s explicit joke about the Crucifixion of Jesus resulted in an on-air apology from hosts addressing offended religious viewers. Kaye later defended his remarks as reflecting challenges encountered by queer comedians.

Criticism

Former AFL athlete Heritier Lumumba accused The Project of disregarding his accounts of racism and attributing blame to the victim; after a leaked 2021 report revealed systemic racism at Collingwood Football Club, demands arose for on-air apologies from presenters Waleed Aly and Peter Helliar. Helliar publicly apologized, acknowledging the problem.

In November 2017, Milo Yiannopoulos criticized the program for purportedly canceling a planned interview; Channel Ten refuted claims that any such interview had been scheduled.

Actor Richard Dreyfuss expressed dissatisfaction with his June 2018 interview on the show, describing it as deceptive and antagonistic; Network Ten and panelist Lisa Wilkinson defended their conduct as sound journalistic practice.

The program encountered criticism in November 2022 for broadcasting an interview with chef George Calombaris that highlighted his return to the public eye despite his company’s involvement in a $7.8 million wage underpayment controversy.

Awards and nominations

Early in her role, Carrie Bickmore earned the Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent, while Charlie Pickering was nominated for Most Popular New Male Talent.

Year Nominee Category Result
2010 Carrie Bickmore Most Popular New Female Talent Template:Won
Charlie Pickering Most Popular New Male Talent Template:Nom
2012 Carrie Bickmore Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality Template:Nom
Most Popular Presenter Template:Nom
rowspan="2"| The Project Most Popular Light Entertainment Program Template:Nom
Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program Template:Nom
2013 Carrie Bickmore Gold Logie Template:Nom
Most Popular Presenter Template:Nom
The Project Most Popular Light Entertainment Program Template:Nom
2014 Carrie Bickmore Gold Logie Template:Nom
Most Popular Presenter Template:Nom
The Project Most Popular Light Entertainment Program Template:Nom
2015 Carrie Bickmore Gold Logie Template:Won
Most Popular Presenter Template:Won
The Project Most Popular Entertainment Program Template:Nom
2016 Waleed Aly Gold Logie Template:Won
Carrie Bickmore Gold Logie Template:Nom
Waleed Aly Most Popular Presenter Template:Won
Carrie Bickmore Most Popular Presenter Template:Nom
The Project Best News Panel Template:Won
2017 Peter Helliar Gold Logie Template:Nom
Waleed Aly Gold Logie Template:Nom
Waleed Aly Best Presenter Template:Won
Carrie Bickmore Best Presenter Template:Nom
The Project Best News Panel or Current Affairs Program Template:Won
2018 Carrie Bickmore Most Popular Presenter Template:Nom
The Project Most Popular Entertainment Program Template:Nom
2019 Waleed Aly Gold Logie Template:Nom
Carrie Bickmore Most Popular Presenter Template:Nom
Waleed Aly Most Popular Presenter Template:Nom
The Project Most Popular Panel or Current Affairs Program Template:Won
2022 The Project Most Popular Panel or Current Affairs Program Template:Won
The Project Most Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs Report Template:Won

Walkley Awards

Year Nominee Category Outcome
2012 Hamish Macdonald Television Current Affairs Reporting ("Age of Uncertainty") Won

National Disability Awards

Year Nominee Category Outcome
2012 The Project Yooralla Media Award of Distinction Won

See also

External links

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