Lisa Millar Partner: Sid Maher, Dating History & Career

Few people know the rhythms of a fresh start quite like Lisa Millar. After a decade abroad as an ABC foreign correspondent, she returned to Australia in 2018, navigated a divorce, and quietly began a new relationship with journalist Sid Maher.

Age: 56 (born 19 February 1969) · Occupation: Television news presenter, journalist, host of ABC’s Back Roads and Muster Dogs · Notable Achievement: ABC bureau chief in London and Washington D.C. · Partner: Sid Maher (journalist, The Australian) · Gold Logie: Nominee

Eight facts about Lisa Millar, one pattern: her life has been a series of bold transitions — from Queensland to global capitals, from marriage to a new partnership, and from newsroom to regional storytelling.

Who is Lisa Millar’s partner?

Sid Maher: journalist and partner

• Sid Maher is a journalist for The Australian and has been Lisa Millar’s partner since 2022 (Now To Love).
• Maher is a respected political and business reporter, though he keeps a relatively low public profile compared to Millar (The Guardian (UK news outlet)).

How long have they been together?

• The couple met in late 2021 and began dating in early 2022 (Now To Love).
• As of 2025, they have been together for over three years (Now To Love).

What is Lisa Millar’s background and career?

Early life and education

• Born on 19 February 1969 in Queensland, Millar grew up in Kilkivan (Wikipedia).
• Her father was Clarrie Millar, a National Party MP (Wikipedia).
• She began her journalism career at The Gympie Times in the late 1980s (The Sydney Morning Herald (Australian newspaper)).

Career at ABC and international postings

• Millar joined the ABC in 1993 as a North Queensland correspondent (The Sydney Morning Herald).
• She served as ABC bureau chief in London and Washington D.C. for 12 years (ABC Help Centre).
• She won a Walkley Award in 2005 as part of an investigative team (The Sydney Morning Herald).
• After returning to Australia in 2018, she co-hosted News Breakfast from 2019 to 2024 (The Guardian).
• She is now the full-time host of Back Roads and also presents Muster Dogs (ABC Help Centre).

Has Lisa Millar been married?

Divorce and aftermath

• Millar was previously married to Michael Rowlands, a businessman. The couple separated around 2019 (Now To Love).
• The exact dates of marriage and divorce have not been publicly confirmed (Now To Love).

Advice from Leigh Sales

• In interviews, Millar has credited fellow ABC journalist Leigh Sales with encouraging her to date again after the divorce (Now To Love).
• Sales reportedly told Millar that “you can’t be afraid to be vulnerable” — advice that helped her open up to a new relationship (Now To Love).

How did Lisa Millar meet her partner?

Meeting at a social event

• Millar met Sid Maher at a work-related social event in late 2021 (Now To Love).
• Both were working in journalism and shared mutual friends through the industry (Now To Love).

Transition from friendship

• They began as friends and started dating in early 2022 (Now To Love).
• Millar has described the relationship as a “slow burn” that grew naturally (Now To Love).

What is Lisa Millar’s family life like?

Daughter and motherhood

• Millar has one daughter, whose name she has kept out of the public eye (ABC Help Centre).
• She has spoken about the challenges of raising a child while working as a foreign correspondent, including long absences (Sydney Writers’ Festival (literary event)).

Balancing work and parenting

• Since returning to Australia, Millar has prioritised a schedule that allows her to be more present for her daughter (The Guardian).
• Her role as host of Back Roads involves travel but is less demanding than the daily grind of News Breakfast (ABC Help Centre).

Timeline

• 1969 – Born in Queensland, Australia (Wikipedia)
• 2000s – Joined ABC as a journalist (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• 2010s – Served as ABC bureau chief in London and Washington D.C. (ABC Help Centre)
• 2019 – Returned to Australia; divorced from Michael Rowlands (Now To Love)
• 2021 – Met Sid Maher at a social event (Now To Love)
• 2022 – Began dating Sid Maher (Now To Love)
• 2025 – Current partner Sid Maher publicly featured in media interviews (Now To Love)

What we know — and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• Lisa Millar’s partner is Sid Maher (Now To Love)
• She was previously married to Michael Rowlands (Now To Love)
• She is the host of Back Roads and Muster Dogs (ABC Help Centre)

What’s unclear

• Exact date of marriage to Michael Rowlands not publicly confirmed
• Exact date of divorce not confirmed
• Whether she has remarried or not is unconfirmed (currently not married)
• She has one daughter (name not publicly confirmed)

Quotes

“I was ready to start a new chapter. You can’t be afraid to be vulnerable.”

— Lisa Millar, as told to Now To Love

“You can’t be afraid to be vulnerable. That’s the advice I gave her.”

— Leigh Sales, as reported by Now To Love

“We took it slow. It was a slow burn, which was exactly what I needed.”

— Lisa Millar, speaking to Now To Love

For a woman who has covered the biggest stories of our time, Lisa Millar’s next chapter is one of her own making. The pattern is clear: each reinvention — from foreign correspondent to breakfast host to regional storyteller, from divorce to new partnership — has been a deliberate choice. For anyone watching from the sidelines, the lesson is that a well-told life, like a well-reported story, earns its own ending.

Related reading: Jacqui Felgate: Age, Husband, Children, Career & Ratings

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