A descendant of the Bundjalung and Kullilli peoples, Daniel Browning studied English and Art History at The University of Queensland and completed his Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) at the Queensland University of Technology, where he majored in painting. A former news director at Triple J, Browning has worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) since 1994. He originally joined the Awaye! team on Radio National on a short-term basis in 1997 and as, of 2018, is still the show's producer and presenter.
In 2010, Browning was guest editor for Artlink's Blak On Blak edition of Aboriginal art. He was also the curator of Blak Box, an immersive sound installation on Sydney Harbour.