Sunrise Family

Monique Wright is a reporter and presenter for the Seven Network.

She graduated with first class honors from Charles Sturt University in Bathurst with a Bachelor of Arts (Communication).

Monique Wright joined the Seven Network in 1996, and has worked on the national and NSW programs: Sunrise, the Nightly News, Sydney Weekender and 11AM.

She has also worked on major broadcast events for Seven, such as The Sydney Olympic Games, The Sydney Olympic Torch Relay, Manchester Commonwealth Games, Athens Olympic Games, Torino Winter Olympic Games, The Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival and the Rugby World Cup Final in Sydney.

She has an enviable record as a top Sydney journalist, covering a wide range of stories in her career.

Monique has been on the scene, reporting on some of the biggest stories in Australia of the past decade. She has covered emergencies, natural disasters, crime, politics and human interest events.

Recently, while in Far North Queensland, she was one of the first reporters to bring Australian and international audiences the news of the tragic death of wildlife warrior Steve Irwin.

Monique was also in Singapore last year for the IOC announcement that London would be the host city for the 2012 Olympics. She covered the elation of the bid team and some of England's most famous faces and then the disbelief hours later as they learnt about the first of London's terrorist bombings. Monique was with the Mayor of London as he spoke publicly for the first time.

She has also interviewed some of the most recognisable names in the entertainment world. People like Pavarotti, Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon have all opened up to her. But Monique always likes to do more than the standard interview. She went swimming in the English Channel with Sir Richard Branson and spent several days exclusively "embedded" with millionaire socialites Paris and Nikki Hilton, gaining a revealing insight into their lives.

But it's generally not the celebrities Monique remembers best. One of the most popular segments on Sunrise, has been Monique's Everyday People Series. Monique approaches ordinary people on the street and encourages them to talk. It has surprised many people, even Monique, how much these spontaneous conversations reveal. Monique's 'everyday people' have included an Auschwitz survivor who lost 60 members of her family, a homeless man who spoke of his daughter and the fact he had not seen her in many years, and even an I.T businessman who used to be a stripper. Monique believes everyone has a story, and she relishes being the person who helps them share it.

In the past 12 months she's travelled Australia and to France, China, America, Russia, Singapore, England, Spain, Wales, Greece and Hawaii.

But she says television reporting isn't the glamorous life many imagine.

"While nothing equals the adrenaline rush and challenge of reporting live - it's easy to find yourself embarrassed in front of thousands of viewers.

"I was once hit by falling bird-poo mid-interview... that really was a highlight of my career" she laughs.

During her honors year at university, Monique completed a thesis titled "Public Communication Campaigns- for the Public Good" which evaluated an Environmental Protection Agency campaign in rural communities. The NSW Government adopted the findings and subsequent recommendations of the research project as guidelines for future campaigns.

In 2007, Monique took control of our weather segments; hitting the road for a national tour with a difference. She plans to visit as many places and meet as many characters as is possible in a single year.

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