Midnight dancing at the US Embassy Canberra, Thursday, 1 November 1968 – Prime Minister John Gorton was just emerging from the tabloid scandal involving cabaret artist Liza Minnelli at Chequers nightclub in Sydney when he was hit by fresh claims about his misbehaviour with a teenage female from Canberra’s National Press Gallery. The story unfolded…
My part in John Gorton’s downfall London, Saturday, 22 March 1969. The sheer excitement of having a story on the front page is the dream of all reporters, and don’t let them tell you otherwise. I hung around after I had finished my shift on London’s Sunday Times to grab a copy of the first…
Rupert Murdoch storms Fleet Street with help of old schoolmate John Gorton London, Monday, 4 December 1968 – Rupert Murdoch was the enfant terrible of media owners when he arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport three weeks before Christmas. Cashed up and burning with ambition, Murdoch was on the acquisition trail. He wanted to achieve what…
Townsville floods – a bleak history of political neglect For the first time in my lifetime, Townsville is in the news. Not just the local or national news, but internationally as well. A biblical level of flooding has ruined thousands of homes, farms and businesses – and brought forth a deluge of politicians seeking votes….
John Gorton goes dancing again at Sydney Town Hall SYDNEY, Saturday, 13 July 1968 – Four days after his perilous escapade at Sydney Chequers restaurant with cabaret star Liza Minnelli, Prime Minister John Gorton was on the dance floor for a very different event at Sydney Town Hall. He was a surprise attendee at the…
Chequers scandal threatens to end John Gorton’s prime ministership SYDNEY, Tuesday, 2 July 1968 – When Prime Minister John Gorton arrived at Chequers nightclub he had been drinking – on and off – for most of his day in Sydney. After the formal Cabinet meeting which he chaired, Gorton joined Liberal Party grandees from the NSW…
National symbols – why they matter and how they change Australia Day used to be called Empire Day and then Independence Day. Adding to the confusion the date has changed as well. Some people think it celebrates James Cook’s landing in Botany Bay in 1770 while, in more recent years, it is meant to mark…
The Prime Minister and the Showgirl – A Night on the Town SYDNEY, Tuesday, July 2, 1967 – At 21, nightclub entertainer Liza Minnelli was well on the way to become a famous celebrity. Not in her own right, however, but because her mother was Judy Garland, the most popular female celebrity of the 20th century….
Bye bye Sydney Morning Herald – Hello dumb-ass television The front pages of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in Melbourne told the story: the plundering of Australia’s two most venerable newspapers by Channel Nine and Rupert Murdoch media is done and dusted. The newspapers, with a collective history of news reporting of more…
Part 1: Gorton steps onto the world stage London, Monday, 6 January 1969 It was a typically freezing winter’s day. In the outer London suburbs misty rain was falling steadily. People rushing to work were forced to open their umbrellas and wear raincoats to stay dry. In the city, the rain was more like sleet. It…
