Laurie Oakes will present the annual Andrew Olle Media Lecture on Friday 21 October. Oakes is political editor for the Nine Network and has had a distinguished career in journalism spanning 47 years. His incisive political commentary and news-breaking ability has earned him the respect of peers and politicians alike.
ABC Managing Director Mark Scott says the ABC is delighted Oakes has agreed to deliver the Lecture this year. “Mr Oakes is one of Australia’s most respected and experienced political journalists with countless career highlights where he broke major stories and set the news agenda. We are delighted to have him speak at this major media event focusing on the role and future of the media.”
The Andrew Olle Media Lecture is held in honour of one of the ABC’s iconic broadcasters, Andrew Olle. After he died of a brain tumour in 1995 his widow, Annette, set up a Trust to encourage brain cancer research. The Andrew Olle Media Lecture focuses on the role and future of the media.
In 1997 it was Laurie Oakes who, using leaked documents, broke the travel rorts saga that ended the careers of three ministers and several government staffers. In 2010 his reporting of leaked information about Julia Gillard’s takeover of the prime ministership from Kevin Rudd and about Cabvarchar(15) discussions on paid parental leave and aged pension increases had a considerable impact on the election campaign.
Oakes joined The Daily Mirror in 1964 and in 1965 became state political roundsman. By the age of 25, he was The Melbourne Sun-Pictorial’s Canberra bureau chief and also provided political commentaries for the Seven Network’s Willesee At Seven program. In 1978 he started his own political journal, The Laurie Oakes Report. The following year he joined Channel 10 where he stayed for five years before moving to the Nine Network.
Oakes has written about politics for The Age and The Sunday Telegraph and has provided political reports and commentaries to a number of radio stations. For 25 years he wrote a column in the Bulletin magazine. He now writes a weekly column for News Limited publications. Laurie Oakes is also a highly regarded political author with more than seven books to his credit
In 1998 he won the Walkley Award for Journalistic Leadership and in 2010 was awarded the Gold Walkley for his reporting in that year’s election campaign. Also in 2010 he won the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award. In 2011 he was honoured by the television industry with entry into the Logies Hall of Fame.
The Lecture will be delivered at a black tie dinner at The Westin Hotel, 1 Martin Place, Sydney on Friday 21 October. The evening will be hosted by 702 ABC Sydney Drive presenter Richard Glover. Phone 0422 580 043 or email [email protected] for bookings.