The Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Peta Credlin will present the ABC’s seven o’clock bulletin from next week, in a move designed to ensure Australians hear the right news.

Ms Credlin – who will take on the role in addition to her existing responsibilities – has extensive media experience and is seen as having a better grasp than her predecessors of the types of stories Australians should hear.

“She’s got her finger on the pulse, that’s for sure,” one colleague said of Ms Credlin today, noting that she had an uncanny knack of getting wind of the most important stories of the day before anyone else.

“The issues she’s talking about today will be the ones our politicians will be talking about tomorrow. The ABC will really set the agenda with Credlin behind the desk,” the colleague said.

A senior ABC executive said it was a positive step for the national broadcaster, and part of the ABC’s vision to appeal to a broader range of Australian MPs. “I think it’s true that we have become a bit niche. I think it’s true that we’ve been slow to modernise. And I think it’s fair to say we’ve lost sight of what Australian Governments in the 21^st Century want from their news”.