Former 60 Minutes reporter Charles Wooley has been elected Hobart’s next Lord Mayor, adding another chapter to a career spanning television journalism, local government and now the leadership of Tasmania’s capital.
Wooley, 77, secured 55 per cent of the final vote to defeat Greens candidate Bill Harvey, winning the position previously held by Anna Reynolds, who did not seek re-election.
This is not Wooley’s first experience in local government, having served as Sorell Council’s Deputy Mayor after being elected in 2022, before resigning in September 2025 after relocating outside the council area.
Wooley built his public profile through a lengthy career in journalism, working as an ABC foreign correspondent before joining Nine’s 60 Minutes in 1991.
He spent more than 25 years with the current affairs program, becoming a familiar face to Australian television audiences, before scaling back his involvement in 2020.
He now returns to public life in a much different capacity, having campaigned as an independent under the slogan ‘Hobart for Hobartians‘.
Wooley will serve a four-year term, replacing Reynolds as the city’s Lord Mayor.
