Mark Santomartino
Mark Santomartino is a state political reporter at Nine News who combines daily coverage of government decisions with an unusual depth of reporting on gaming and technology. His work ranges from detailed explainers on budgets and major transport projects to hands-on reviews of Nintendo Switch 2 titles and other franchise games. Across these very different subjects he writes in a direct, conversational style, often framing stories through clear questions and first‑hand verdicts to keep policy debates and new consumer tech accessible.
Victorian budget and transport projects
As a state political reporter, Santomartino consistently focuses on how budget decisions and transport policies translate into costs, delays and trade‑offs for the public.
In coverage such as “Why critics are calling the Victorian budget's operating surplus 'fake'”, he scrutinises headline budget claims and foregrounds the arguments of economists and opposition figures about the sustainability of surpluses and debt. Stories including “How much are you willing to spend to cancel the Suburban Rail Loop?” and “Transport users group voices frustration over Myki overhaul delays” explore major infrastructure projects through the lens of taxpayer cost, project timing and political accountability, highlighting overruns and schedule slippage using figures drawn from budget papers.
This strand of his reporting links the technical detail of state finances to everyday experience, showing what large transport and infrastructure commitments mean for commuters and households rather than treating them as abstract line items.
Nintendo Switch 2 and franchise game reviews
Santomartino has developed a substantial body of work around Nintendo Switch 2 hardware and software, pairing news coverage of the console’s launch with review‑driven reporting on its biggest titles. Articles such as “Nintendo Switch 2, new Mario Kart revealed: Here's everything we know” and “Nintendo Switch 2: Everything you need to know about the new gaming console” set out specifications, pricing and release information while stressing what matters for players, including cost for local buyers and the absence of confirmed pre‑order dates.
He then moves into first‑hand assessments with pieces like “We’ve played Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza” and “Review: The best game on the Switch 2 yet”, where he describes gameplay, visual fidelity and franchise direction in concrete terms and offers clear verdicts on whether new entries meet or exceed expectations. His reviews of titles such as Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2, “'Unlike any game I've played': An honest review of Nintendo's Yoshi and the Mysterious Book”, “'Irresistibly charming.' An hour with Pokemon Pokopia”, “Pokemon Legends Z-A has a remarkably engaging story.
But this is my only wish” and “'Branding Kirby Air Riders as a racing game is selling it short'” are built around personal impressions, vivid descriptive language and explicit pros and cons, signalling a consumer‑oriented approach that helps readers decide whether a game warrants their time and money. He also returns to standout games with follow‑up pieces such as “This game was already 'incredible'.
It just got another reason to play”, tracking updates and expansions over time rather than treating releases as one‑off news events.
Technology, innovation and AI stories
Beyond politics and entertainment, Santomartino reports regularly on emerging technologies and their human impact. Coverage such as “Artificial intelligence breaks new ground for Australians with epilepsy” examines medical AI through specific case studies, showing how new tools change diagnosis, monitoring and quality of life. In “The Aussie drone technology helping make some of Hollywood's biggest stunts”, he profiles a local robotics and drone company’s role in high‑risk film production, connecting advanced engineering to recognisable blockbuster sequences.
His report on Advanced Navigation’s mission, “Advanced Navigation is set to be the first Australian company to deploy technology to the Moon”, follows a robotics firm’s plan to send navigation systems to the lunar surface, blending space industry reporting with detailed explanation of autonomous systems and their applications. Earlier work on smart‑watch fall‑detection technology also focuses on how consumer devices are repurposed as safety tools, highlighting real incidents where these features have contributed to saving lives. Away from the newsroom he founds and leads Newsie, a software venture built around unlocking the value of TV news, underscoring a sustained interest in the intersection of journalism, data and product design.
In public talks on AI adoption and data hygiene he stresses the need to understand current AI limitations, maintain clean data for business use, and address the risks posed by deepfake and synthetic video, pointing to verification tools such as video authentication standards, geolocation and timestamping as ways to rebuild trust.
Breaking news and crime coverage
Although his remit centres on politics and technology, Santomartino maintains an active role in breaking news and crime reporting.
In pieces such as “Woman stabbed in shocking daytime attack in Melbourne praises bystanders who rushed to her aid”, he frames violent incidents around the responses of witnesses and community members, giving space to victims’ voices and those who intervened. His story “Trio of Australian men could face firing squad in Bali after murder charges” covers an international criminal case with a focus on legal jeopardy and the potential consequences of capital punishment, balancing courtroom detail with the broader diplomatic and human context.
Coverage of a case where a woman’s body was found in a wheelie bin links multiple crime scenes and incorporates neighbours’ and friends’ accounts, showing his emphasis on combining police information with community testimony. In political crime reporting, his work on the resignation of a union leader, ahead of a joint investigation by Nine news programs and a metropolitan newspaper into alleged misconduct, demonstrates his role in collaborative investigations that sit at the intersection of industrial relations and public integrity. These stories underline his ability to pivot from planned political and technology coverage to fast‑moving, high‑stakes events while still anchoring reports in concrete detail and direct human perspectives.
Santomartino’s career spans national cable news, regional television and radio as well as his current state political reporting and digital feature work at Nine News, giving him experience across breaking news, long‑form explainers and broadcast presentation. That breadth shows in his current output, where budget stories, transport projects, game reviews, technology profiles and crime coverage are all handled with the same emphasis on clarity, specificity and the consequences for people affected.
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