Sarah Macdonald to return to ABC radio, two years after being removed

ABC Radio presenter Sarah Macdonald is set to return to Sydney's local radio schedule two years after she was removed from her role in 2024 without explanation.

Ben Latimer, the ABC's director of audio and the manager who had removed Macdonald from her previous position, announced her return on Wednesday. Macdonald will take over the station's afternoons slot starting in March, replacing the late James Valentine.

A reversal after two years

Macdonald's removal from the Sydney schedule in 2024 drew attention at the time, in part because no detailed public explanation was given for the decision. Her return under the same manager who oversaw her earlier departure marks a notable reversal for the broadcaster.

The afternoons slot has been without a permanent host following the death of James Valentine, a longtime fixture of ABC Radio Sydney's schedule. Macdonald's appointment fills that gap starting in March.

Listeners and former colleagues are likely to view the move as closing out a chapter that began with her unexplained removal, though the broadcaster has offered no further comment on what prompted the change of course.

The ABC has not detailed the reasoning behind the decision to bring Macdonald back, beyond confirming the scheduling change and the timing of her return to the airwaves.