Career

Backhouse began her television career as a cadet at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

 (ABC) in Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

 in 1988. She soon relocated to Townsville

Townsville, Queensland

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...

, remaining there for nearly two years. She then moved to Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

, where she reported on national politics and events.

Backhouse returned to ABC in 1998, relocating to Brisbane to anchor the ABC weekend news. She retained this position until 2006, and in 2004 also began hosting the ABC program Stateline.

Backhouse left ABC in 2006, moving to the position of relief presenter on Nine News Brisbane. As of January 2010 she remains in that post. Over the 2009-2010 summer, she filled in as Nine News Brisbane Weekend anchor. She regularly fills in on the weekend news for news presenter Heather Foord

Heather Foord

Heather Foord is an Australian television journalist.Foord, was a presenter of the Nine Network in Brisbane for over 20 years, presented the weekday edition of Nine News Queensland with Bruce Paige until 5 December 2008, and has also co-presented the weekend news before in the past.For a duration...

 or on the weather and she is also a senior reporter

Health issue

Backhouse departed the ABC under difficult circumstances. Diagnosed with breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

, and upset at what she believed was ABC Management's lack of concern over a possible cancer cluster at the Brisbane studios, she chose her health and departed in late 2006.

The ABC has since abandoned its Brisbane studios as a result of the cancer cases.

External links

• NineMSN