Prominent Australian journalist and broadcaster Patricia Karvelas will join Sky News in 2016 as anchor of a new weekly political and national affairs program which will broadcast live from the Melbourne studios.

The program is among a host of new and exclusive shows to be unveiled early next year, as Sky News builds up its political coverage ahead of the federal election.

Patricia has held senior editorial and broadcast roles in the Australian media for two decades. In 2016, she will continue to host Radio National’s current affairs program RN Drive and as a contributor for The Australian.

Commenting on her appointment Patricia said: "I look forward to presenting an engaging, no-holds-barred, deep dive into the world of politics and policy. I'll be speaking directly to the players involved and the best analysts from around the country to bring you the sharpest view possible, especially during an election year, when scrutiny and analysis is more important than ever."

Patricia has been a journalist with The Australian since 2002 covering federal politics, most recently working as the Victorian Bureau Chief and Editor and Senior National Affairs Journalist. Prior to this she was The Australian's political correspondent in the Canberra press gallery.

Sky News has also confirmed former Northern Territory News Editor Matt Cunningham will lead its Darwin Bureau as the Northern Australia Correspondent.

A highly regarded print journalist, Matt most recently held the position of Deputy Editor at the Sunday Herald Sun in Melbourne. Prior to this Matt led news coverage for the Northern Territory News and Sunday Territorian in a variety of senior editorial roles including Chief of Staff, Senior Deputy Editor and Editor. Matt has also appeared as a guest panellist on a number of television programs.

Matt said: “I'm excited to be returning to Darwin and joining the Sky News team. Northern Australia is a land of enormous potential and I look forward to covering the stories and meeting the people who make it such a unique part of our country.”