The ABC has announced that Hamish Macdonald will be the next host of Q&A, ending months of speculation over who would fill the role.

Macdonald will replace the founding presenter Tony Jones, who will step down from the position later this month after 12 years in the seat.

Macdonald will take over at Q&A from the start of the 2020 season in February, the ABC said at a 2020 TV program launch in Sydney on Thursday.

He will also become a regular member of the RN Breakfast on-air team, where he has been a regular fill-in host, and will be reporting internationally with Foreign Correspondent.

“I’m so passionate about telling the big stories of our time through Australian eyes, for an Australian audience,” Macdonald said. “I’m proud to join this great Australian institution and can’t wait to serve the audience by continuing the big and important conversations each week.”

The #QandA team is very excited to have @hamishNews on board as host for 2020. Congrats Hamish! pic.twitter.com/6kvFPG8es8 — ABC Q&A (@QandA) November 7, 2019

Macdonald is still contracted to the Ten network where he co-hosts the Project, and is expected to cut ties with the commercial network before joining ABC staff.

The ABC’s director of news, Gaven Morris, said: “Hosting Q&A requires a special set of skills. It needs someone who is articulate and also a great listener, well connected, interested in everything and fully across news and current events at home and abroad. Hamish can do all of that.

“He is an integral part of our plans to continue to evolve Q&A alongside new executive producer Erin Vincent and the program team.”

The news was greeted on Twitter with congratulations from other ABC hosts.

Macdonald has already had an international broadcasting career, first with UK’s Channel 4 News, then Al Jazeera English, before joining US ABC as international affairs correspondent. He returned to Australia to appear on the short-lived news program on Ten, 6.30 with George Negus, and has featured across commercial TV as well as the public broadcaster’s radio and TV shows in recent years.

The program will be produced from Melbourne next year and while Macdonald is the main host, other ABC personalities will guest host occasionally.