Tina Altieri

The girl from Girrawheen High School studied broadcasting at WAAPA and began her career as a radio reporter at 6IX News.

Tina commenced her career in the media as a radio reporter, shortly after joining the Channel Ten Eyewitness News team and, in doing so, became the youngest newsreader in Australia. Tina made her screen debut at age 19. Guided by her mentor and friend Ann Conti, who was reading Channel Nine’s news at the time, Tina stood in for Peter Waltham when he left Channel Nine.

She presented news alongside Liam Bartlett, Terry Willesee and Peter Holland.

Tina reporting for live for Sunrise on Channel Seven in Perth, 2025.
Credit: Giulia & Tina Altieri

For over two decades she has been in lounge rooms all over Australia and New Zealand in her capacity as a News and Current Affairs anchor woman for the Nine Network and Sky News Australia. Tina can now be seen on the Channel 7 Network as the summer edition presenter of the award winning public affairs program, Today Tonight.

Tina is a TV News Presenter for 7NEWS Perth and has over 30 years’ experience as a journalist and presenter across both radio and TV. She has been part of a Walkley Award winning documentary – as an associate producer and presenter; and has hosted the hugely popular travel series for Seven, “Wonders of Western Australia.” Tina enjoys coaching and mentoring young journalists coming through the ranks of the dynamic 7NEWS Perth newsroom.

Tina is an ambassador for the Channel 7 Television Network children’s charity, Telethon.

Tina with youngest son Sam in Singapore, 2015. 
Credit: Giulia & Tina Altieri

Tina has also gained a profile in the Southeast Asian region. She has appeared as a guest presenter on Channel NewsAsia’s current affairs program “In Asia Tonight” – which is beamed throughout Southeast Asia. For 8 years Tina was a foreign correspondent for MediaCorp News in Singapore and her reports and special assignments were watched by audiences throughout the region.

Among Tina’s list of highlights as a Master of Ceremonies are; Australian Industry and Export Awards, Nobel Peace Award Winners Ceremony, Amex Gold Plate, Australian Entrepreneur of the Year, Western Australia Business Woman of the Year, Singapore Wine Awards, WA Citizen of the Year Award and the Ronald McDonald Charity Ball. Other events include an invitation to compere the exclusive Australian Premier Fashion Designer Showcase at Hong Kong Fashion Week. In addition, she has compered the biggest family concert in Perth, Western Australia – Carols by Candlelight – which attracts up to 15,000 people every Christmas.

Tina with husband Stephen and eldest son Jackson in Singapore, 2008. 
Credit: Giulia & Tina Altieri

Above all Tina is passionate about the art of communication and how it impacts on winning business, keeping business and building great relationships.

Giulia Altieri

Live with acceptance and make the most of the great things.

Giulia was born in 1940 in Vasto, an enchanting hilltop town in Abruzzo overlooking the Adriatic Sea. A year earlier, the Second World War had begun, bringing devastation that scarred the lives and futures of many Italian families for decades to come. Giulia’s childhood was forever changed when, at just nine years old, she lost her beloved mother Annunziata. It was a devastating loss from which she never fully recovered. Her mother had been her closest companion, nurturing her creativity through sewing lessons and instilling the importance of education. In the face of such tragedy, her brothers and sisters gathered around her, determined to provide the love and stability she needed. Her older sister became her protector, while a devoted aunt stepped in as a strong anchor, often telling Giulia she was “like a daughter” to her.

Giulia’s First Holy Communion in Vasto, capturing a cherished moment of spiritual devotion and Catholic tradition.
Credit: Giulia & Tina Altieri

After completing five years of elementary school, Giulia began working on the family farm, which produced grains, olive oil, and wine. With no money for hired labourers, every member of the household contributed. Giulia picked olives from tall ladders, tended crops, and learned the rhythms of a self-sufficient life. The farm not only sustained them with food but also gave Giulia a grounding in resilience and hard work that would serve her throughout her life.
At twenty, Giulia met her future husband. Like many young women of her generation, she dreamed of building a united and loving family. In 1960, she married only a week before leaving Italy behind. Her father Cesario urged her to go, reassuring her that she must not worry about him and that nothing would change in Vasto. Though heartbroken to leave, Giulia obeyed her father’s wish, stepping onto the Neptunia to begin her new life. The voyage was difficult, with storms keeping passengers confined to their cabins for days. She remembers the ropes strung along corridors so that people could walk safely to meals without falling in rough seas.

Giulia at 19 in her hometown of Vasto—a poignant portrait of youth, identity, and the beginnings of her life’s journey.
Credit: Giulia & Tina Altieri

Arriving in Fremantle was a mixture of relief and trepidation. Passengers were allowed just one suitcase, and Giulia’s was filled mostly with glory box items—sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and tablecloths—symbols of her new life as a wife. She also carried gold entrusted by her family for relatives in Perth, so much that customs officials accused her of trying to sell it. Reunited with her siblings who had migrated years earlier, Giulia was overjoyed, though meeting her brother Frank again felt like meeting a stranger. He soon took her to see Perth by night, walking her along St Georges Terrace where the long strip of city lights dazzled her. Having grown up in rural Italy without electricity, Giulia thought she had stepped into paradise.

Giulia with her brother Nick at their country farmhouse in Vasto. C. 1959
Credit: Giulia & Tina Altieri

Yet life in Australia was far from easy. Giulia struggled with homesickness and isolation. Her husband worked long hours, neighbours kept to themselves, and her siblings were busy with their own lives. She once told him, “You take me home!” feeling as if she were in jail. Slowly, however, life brightened when she became a mother. Her three children were her joy and salvation, filling her home with warmth and purpose. She recalls the words of a kind nurse at the birth of her first child: “Feed in time and the baby will thrive.” That simple advice guided her for years, strengthening her confidence as a mother.

After ten years of marriage, Giulia became a solo parent. Determined to provide for her children, she moved to Mount Lawley to be closer to work and transport. She worked nights in a Chinese restaurant, washing dishes into the early hours, and later became a school cleaner—a role she cherished because it allowed her to be home when her children returned from school. Her priority was always their wellbeing and education. Despite hardship, the family remained close-knit, supporting one another with love and determination.

Giulia was determined to master English, knowing language was the key to opportunity and connection. She attended free classes for migrants twice a week, discovering a passion for learning and literature. She wrote poems, delighted in her teacher’s praise, and carried a dictionary everywhere, looking up new words until she understood them. Her love of language grew into a lifelong habit of reading and studying. She instilled in her children the same belief—that education was their most important life priority—and watched proudly as they built successful futures.

Giulia with her children—Dominic, Tina, and Anna—at a family wedding.
Credit: Giulia & Tina Altieri

A creative and fiercely independent woman, Giulia filled her home with warmth, artistry, and inspiration. She sewed, embroidered, and designed, always finding joy in creating beauty with her hands. Later in life, she discovered a remarkable talent for drawing and painting. Many of her artworks now adorn the walls of her home, each piece reflecting a story, a memory, or an observation of life. Her art became not only a personal passion but also a way of expressing resilience, imagination, and the richness of her experiences. Visitors to her home are inspired by the vibrancy of her creations, which stand as a testament to her inner strength and enduring creativity.

Her garden was another source of pride and sustenance, overflowing with fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables. She especially loved her abundant avocado tree, always ready to share its bounty. Like many Italian migrants, she used her garden not only to feed her family but to maintain an essential link to her cultural traditions of cooking and self-sufficiency.

Food has always been Giulia’s love language. Her kitchen is the heart of family gatherings, where she expresses care and generosity through her legendary meals. Her homemade lasagne is renowned, her gnocchi and ravioli eagerly anticipated, and her regional long dough sticks evoke memories of Italy. Cooking is her way of showing devotion to her children and six grandchildren, and her family knows that each meal is a labour of love.

Giulia’s influence on her daughter Tina has been profound. She nurtured Tina’s creativity and independence, encouraging her to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. Her motto—“Be in the lane you want to be in”—remains a guiding principle that Tina carries proudly. Supported by her mother’s unwavering belief, Tina went on to achieve a stellar career, a source of immense pride for Giulia.

Now in her eighties, Giulia remains active, creative, and deeply engaged with life. She cooks, sews, gardens, and paints with the same passion she carried as a young woman. She continues to inspire her children and grandchildren with her resilience, positivity, and wisdom. Giulia is a testament to the courage and determination of migrant women who faced hardship, built new lives, and left lasting legacies of love, strength, and cultural pride. She thanks God for the blessings she has received, embraces life with acceptance, and believes in making the most of every good thing. A true Nonna in every sense, Giulia’s story honours the sacrifices and triumphs of her generation and continues to inspire all who know her.