Veteran journalist Peter Ryan died after shaping business reporting for decades and preparing the new generation. In covering the loss of this hugely respected voice of journalism, the senior business correspondent and analyst of ABC Senior Business Correspondent and Analyst Peter Ryan, died in 2025.
He passed away on Friday evening in his 65th year following a protracted battle with metastatic thyroid cancer, just a month after officially retiring in June of 2025, after a long career of over 40 years in journalism.
Coming to the ABC in 1984, he became a trusted name in the national media. His death has sent shockwaves throughout Australian society, bringing out countless tributes from his colleagues, fellow politicians, and millions of viewers who consumed the work that he gave to them in his working life.
Who Was Peter Ryan and Why Did He Matter?
He started out his media career as a copyboy on The Daily Mirror in 1980. By 1984, he had joined ABC Radio News, moving later to high-profile television and digital roles.
He was ABC’s bureau chief in Washington, covering major global financial events and managing newsrooms in Victoria. His appointment as the senior business correspondent in 2016 represented the pinnacle of his reporting career.
Sometimes with quiet dignity, hard-nosed reporting, and clear-but-simple language, Ryan would unpack various forms of technological matters. He approached topics such as banking misconduct, inflation, and market instability with subtlety and clarity.
What Were His Key Career Milestones?
Peter Ryan’s analysis was essential viewing for policymakers and the general public alike. He was behind the creation of Lateline Business, which later evolved into The Business on ABC TV.
His coverage of the Commonwealth Bank money laundering scandal in 2017 earned him a prestigious Walkley Award.
The story contributed to growing pressure for the royal commission into financial services.
In 2022, Ryan won the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the broadcast media industry.
This honour reflected a career in which accountability had been delivered through investigative journalism.
Peter Ryan with his Walkley Award for exposing the Commonwealth Bank’s 53,000 anti-money laundering breaches.
How Did He Influence Australia’s Financial Reporting Landscape?
Ryan’s work reshaped the way business journalism is perceived and practised in Australia.
He moved financial news beyond stock tickers, focusing instead on how economic changes affect “the giant of journalism with unwavering integrity.”
Michael Rowlan moved financial news away from stock tickers to concentrate on the economic changes and their bearing on people’s lives. He was a familiar face on ABC News Breakfast, PM, and The World Today, where he made financial stories more approachable for ordinary Australians.
His analysis was regularly cited in political discourse and legislative change beyond newsroom walls. His reporting acumen was, however, best witnessed during the global financial crisis and post-COVID recovery in particular.
He led Australians to understand how global trends are reflected in local parlance from mortgages, through jobs, to savings.
Peter Ryan was always brimming with such enthusiasm and initiative. And he was such a lovely guy. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. Here’s to you Pete. pic.twitter.com/Pcvy84qt12
— Joe O’Brien (@JoeDoesNews) July 20, 2025
What Were His Colleagues’ Final Tributes?
The media and political sectors paid tribute following the death of Peter Ryan.
Justin Stephens, director of ABC News, stated that he was regarded as “a giant of journalism with a rock-solid integrity.”
Michael Rowland called him “the ultimate professional, fearless reporter, and generous mentor.”
Jim Chalmers called him “an absolute legend” and thanked him for his outstanding contribution.
His colleagues remember him as a great mentor, kind, and calm in moments of breaking news.
He was remembered as one who lifted people around him while bringing hard truths to the powers-that-be.
How Did Peter Ryan Approach His Final Months?
In 2014, Mr Peter Ryan was diagnosed with cancer, yet he went on to keep reporting through a decade of treatment.
When his health fell increasingly victim to the trials of treatment, he never lost the trademark professionalism and clarity he displayed on-air. On paper, in June 2025, he retired and went into palliative care shortly after.
In his last message to colleagues, he asked them to show kindness, to be compassionate, and to greet the sunrise with starry eyes. He said, “Don’t let cynicism win. Be passionate. Be curious. Never lose your sense of purpose.”
Even in his farewell, Ryan gave precedence to the craft and the ones who would hold it in their hands into the future.
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Peter Ryan’s Legacy Goes Beyond Headlines
Peter Ryan, ABC senior business correspondent. Their analysis of 2025 is more than just a profile of a singular man. It stands as a model of public interest journalism, mentorship, and ethical accountability.
He mentored dozens of journalists-in-training who now hold top newsroom positions across the country. His motto of preparation, strong contacts, and plan B became gold within the halls of ABC.
He could calmly analyse breaking market crashes or political turmoil, earning the respect of many. Viewers relied on him as a trusted source of unvarnished accounts even as matters grew complex.
Goodbye to the byline of Peter Ryan, but every business bulletin, every training session, and every newsroom strategy is embraced by his legacy now!
