EXCLUSIVE: Step inside The Project during its final week on air, and one word consistently emerges: heart. For host Waleed Aly, the show always had its heart in the right place. Founding producer Craig Campbell envisioned a program that delivered heart and made viewers feel something about the news. Even the publicity team saw the show as the beating heart of its South Yarra Como building.
For 16 years, The Project, with its mission of “News Delivered Differently,” brought a lighter touch to living rooms across Australia. It launched at a time when programs like A Current Affair and Today Tonight were dominated by consumer stories, neighborhood feuds, and sensationalist reporting. The Project broke the mold, inviting comedians to the desk and barely surviving its first year on air.
A Different Approach to News
Instead of following the typical current affairs formula, The Project showcased stories often ignored by primetime commercial TV. These included deep dives into topics like spending a night with paramedics, unraveling oil disasters, organ donation campaigns, and advocating for the ban on engineered stone to protect stonemasons. The show supported marriage equality, NDIS, animal welfare, disability awareness, and domestic violence campaigns, resonating with audiences who responded to Waleed Aly’s editorials on events like the Christchurch attack.
The program also played a significant role in fundraising, helping raise over $3.5 million for children facing life-threatening challenges, including nearly $500,000 for Oli’s neuroblastoma treatment. It provided a platform for actors, singers, comedians, and authors to promote their ventures, even sending Steve Price to the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.
“Empathy plays a big role,” Craig Campbell acknowledges. “I wanted people to feel something. The big thing we used to have up on our walls: ‘What does the story make you feel?'”
Connecting with Audiences
Waleed Aly, who has been hosting since 2015, agrees that The Project always tried to connect with its audience. “Whatever it did, its heart was generally in the right place. I feel like it genuinely cared about people,” he says. Sarah Harris, who joined in 2023, was surprised by the show’s impact. “Whether we’re doing a story on a family let down by NDIS or caring for someone with a profound disability, our audience digs deep to help complete strangers they’ve seen on our show.”
After finding its footing with original hosts Charlie Pickering, Carrie Bickmore, and Dave Hughes, The Project became the network’s ‘DNA,’ winning Logies and performing well with its target demographic. It created stars like Kitty Flanagan, Tommy Little, and Waleed Aly. The hosting panel evolved over the years, including Peter Helliar, Hamish Macdonald, Lisa Wilkinson, and others.
Challenges and Controversies
Despite its success, The Project faced challenges, particularly as perceptions around its politics shifted. Executive Producer Chris Bendall notes, “I think The Project has ended up in the middle of a culture war.” The show became a lightning rod for controversy, despite never being found in breach of balanced reporting by ACMA.
Sarah Harris describes live television as a “constant tightrope,” with the rise of cancel culture and the need to navigate potential backlash on social media. The show also faced a high-profile defamation lawsuit involving Lisa Wilkinson, which Bendall admits created negative noise around the program.
“I think the coverage around the court case certainly didn’t help,” Bendall concedes. “But the shift in numbers was happening regardless.”
The Legacy of The Project
As the show concludes, questions about its legacy remain. Waleed Aly reflects, “I can’t answer the question on legacy when you’re in it… the legacy I experience is just turning up every day.” Sarah Harris describes it as a trailblazing show that set high standards for production values and was a “Gold Logie-making machine.”
Chris Bendall emphasizes the importance of the conversations The Project facilitated. “It showed Australians that you can talk about things without being angry, that you can have a conversation about a hard and difficult topic in a respectful way.”
The final word goes to Craig Campbell, who originally conceived the show as a Breakfast TV idea. “I think we made a difference. We inspired or encouraged people to have conversations of their own about the news, and then we gave you a laugh on the way out the door.”
The Project will air its final live episode at 6:30 pm on Friday on Channel 10, marking the end of an era for a show that dared to be different and left a lasting impact on Australian television.
