Juanita Phillips (born 1963 in Brisbane), is an Australian journalist and newsreader, currently working for the ABC as main weeknight anchor for the New South Wales edition of ABC News at 7pm and evening anchor for ABC News 24 bulletins.
Phillips began her career in Brisbane in 1982 as a cadet journalist at The Courier-Mail where she became a feature writer and columnist. In the early 1990s, Phillips worked at TVQ-10 Brisbane as a reporter and anchor. She made her national debut as regular anchor on Ten Eyewitness News weekend late edition (from Ten's Brisbane studios) in 1993. A year later, Phillips moved to Sydney to join Ron Wilson on TEN-10's 5:00pm news, succeeding Sandra Sully. Phillips was Ten Sydney's lead anchorwoman for two years, succeeded by Jessica Rowe.
In 1997, following a stint as anchor with Sky News Australia, Phillips moved to London where she worked as a news anchor at BBC World News while at the same time running a London cafe. She later moved to CNN International, also in London, working mainly as co-anchor on CNN Today before returning to Australia as weekend anchor of the ABC's New South Wales state bulletins.
In 2002, Phillips married Mario Milostic, an Australian graphic designer, after a six-week courtship. Their first child, Marcus, was born in 2003 and their second son Mischa in 2006.
In 2003, she moved to co-anchor weekdays with Tony Eastley before becoming the sole 7:00pm anchor. During 2007, Phillips wrote a number of articles for The Bulletin including an article on animal rights activist Lyn White that caused some controversy.
On 30 November 2007, Phillips suffered an on-air coughing fit while reading a 7PM state bulletin, forcing the ABC to switch to a simulcast of the Victoria state bulletin from its Melbourne station until her coughing fit subsided. In her 2010 book, A Pressure Cooker Saved My Life, she describes the episode as a result of a stress-induced laryngeal spasm.
In 2009, Phillips took carer's leave from the ABC to nurse her husband through radiation therapy for bowel cancer. Mario recovered and now works part-time in freelance graphic design.