One of the cornerstones of ABC Radio National has announced his departure from the national broadcaster after a nine-year tenure, with an insider revealing he ‘ruffled feathers’ by daring to give conservatives the ‘time of day’.

Tom Switzer, the host of the popular Saturday afternoon radio show and podcast Between the Lines, declared he would be leaving the ABC at the end of the year.

In a statement released on Thursday, Switzer revealed he was leaving to turn his focus to his role as executive director of the Centre for Independent Studies, a classical liberal think tank.

The academic and respected news editor joined the broadcaster in 2015 to host the program and, at times, present Counterpoint, Saturday Extra and Sunday Extra. 

A ‘best of’ series of the show will continue to air on Radio National over the summer, with his last program being broadcast on January 20.

The host of Radio National’s weekly show and podcast Between the Lines, Tom Switzer (pictured), has announced he will be leaving the ABC at the end of the year

‘I have been very fortunate to work on various programs at ABC’s Radio National for the best part of a decade, especially Between The Lines,’ Switzer said in a statement.

‘I have learnt a lot about the craft of serious interviewing on the public broadcaster, and I am very grateful for all the support I’ve received from many producers, audio engineers and management.’

The manager for Radio National, Cath Dwyer said Switzer ‘has brought a depth of knowledge of foreign affairs and a variety of voices and perspectives to Radio National’.

‘His dedicated listeners will miss his enquiring mind, curiosity, and 다파벳우회주소 desire to challenge ideas,’ Ms Dwyer said in a statement.

Switzer’s departure is also believed to have been influenced by ABC staff being ‘upset’ over his choice of conservative guests on his show.

A source at the ABC, who wished to remain anonymous, said Switzer had been ‘ruffling feathers’ at ‘Aunty’ since he joined because ‘he dared to give guests who wouldn’t usually appear on the ABC the time of day’.

The former academic and news editor joined Aunty in 2015 and had become one of the few conservative voices at the national broadcaster

‘There is always a different side to the story, sometimes even three sides, that’s what the organisation needs to understand,’ the source told The Australian.

‘Apart from (former Liberal minister Amanda) Vanstone, what other conservative voices do they have in there? It is moving dangerously into group think territory.’ 

The source noted Switzer inviting Nigel Lawson, a former conservative politician in the UK who served in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, onto his show in 2015 to explain his concerns over climate change alarmism.

Switzer himself had been a senior advisor for Brendan Nelson in 2008 and a year later would run for his northern Sydney electoral seat of Bradfield to replace Nelson.

He is now the latest in a long line of stars to leave the ABC,.

Former Q+A host Stan Grant officially walked out in August, sports broadcaster Tracey Holmes announced her departure last month and ABC Sydney’s Afternoon presenter, Josh Szeps, announced he would be leaving live on air last week.

During a lengthy monologue, Szeps said he was ‘too spicy’ for the job and that he wanted ‘uncomfortable conversations’ that did not fit with the broadcaster’s limitations. 

He continued by saying he could ‘spin a lot of PR guff’ but ‘if you know me you would know I don’t do bulls***, I am a straight shooter’.