The Project newsreader Hamish Macdonald makes public debut with boyfriend

The Project newsreader Hamish Macdonald came out loud and proud last night at the GQ Gentlemen's Ball in Melbourne.

It was the first time the 38-year-old publicly confirmed he's gay and he did so by walking the red carpet hand-in-hand with his partner, Jacob Fitzroy.

"#gqball @gqaustralia," Macdonald wrote alongside a black heart emoji and photo of the pair suited up in black tuxedos at the event.

Although it was the first time the couple appeared at an event together, Fitzroy has made an appearance on Macdonald's Instagram before.

Just two months ago, the journalist posted a photo of the pair enjoying a mini getaway at the Freycinet National Park in Tasmania.

"Favourite human," Macdonald captioned the happy snap of them sitting on the beach.

While it was only yesterday the pair went public with their romance, it seems their relationship was no secret among their inner circle. During Easter, the couple shared a photo of them spending time with friends at Sydney Tamarama beach.

"Very Good Friday," Macdonald said of their quality time together.

Macdonald has always been outspoken about LGBTQI+ rights, tweeting his concerns last October about the idea of gay children being excluded from private or religious schools.

"How would a school determine if a kid is gay? Many kids work this stuff out during their teens, or later even. Are we now saying they'd potentially be expelled during that process?" Macdonald tweeted.