Liz Hayes

Hayes was born in 1956 in the rural town of Taree, New South Wales. Her parents were dairy farmers. She entered journalism as a cadet on the local Manning River Times newspaper, becoming assistant editor then moved to Sydney.

Hayes is best known for her work as a reporter on 60 Minutes, and as a former co-host of Today. On moving to Sydney she worked for New Idea and TV Week magazines for a few weeks, before becoming a reporter for Network Ten's Eyewitness News.

In 1981 she was signed to the Nine Network, reporting for National Nine News and then presenting the National Nine Morning News. In 1986, Hayes was appointed co-host of the Australian TV program, Today with Steve Liebmann where she stayed as co-host until 1996 when Tracy Grimshaw replaced her. In 1996, she joined 60 Minutes as a corrspondent and remains in this position today. In 2021, Hayes celebrated 40 years with the Nine Network.

Hayes met and married her first husband, Brian Hayes, a builder, in her home town of Taree.[1] Despite being divorced from Brian Hayes, she still uses his surname as her professional name. She was also briefly married to the advertising entrepreneur John Singleton in 1991, his fourth wife.[2]

Ben Crane, a former 60 Minutes soundman, has been her current partner since the early 2000s.[1] In September 1998, a man who had quietly stalked her for ten years agreed not to approach her.