The Guardian Australia has appointed its third editor in three years — and this time, it’s a local.

Political editor Lenore Taylor, previously a long-standing Fairfax journalist, has been announced as the newest editor of the title.

Emily Wilson, the editor who took over from founding editor (now global editor-in-chief) Katharine Viner, is heading back the UK, where she will be assistant editor of The Guardian. Both former editors were brought to Australia from the London HQ, making Taylor the first home-grown editor of the title.

In an email to staff, Viner said Taylor, a dual-Walkley winner who joined in May 2013, had had a “stellar three years on the edition bringing in attention-grabbing scoops, astute analysis and wide recognition for the Guardian on TV and radio”.

“Lenore is a multi-award-winning political journalist and former foreign correspondent, and she is the ideal person to take Guardian Australia to its next stage of development.”

Viner also paid tribute to Wilson, who she said had grown the Guardian Australia’s monthly unique browsers 40% in two years.

In a statement, Taylor said:

“The opportunity to lead Guardian Australia is a huge honour. We’ve come so far in just three years and my aim is to expand our quality, independent coverage of all the issues that are important to our readers. I’m following two inspiring editors in Katharine Viner and Emily Wilson and I have the great privilege of leading a dedicated and talented team.”

Taylor is not the first Australian to head up one of The Guardian‘s three local sites. Lee Glendinning, who was deputy editor of the Guardian Australia at launch, followed Viner to the United States when the former Australian editor took over the operation there. Glendinning, another former Fairfax journalist, succeeded Viner as US editor in June last year.