Laurie Oakes | |
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 Oakes in 2014 | |
| Born | (1943-08-14)14 August 1943 (age 82) Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupations | Retired journalist and author |
| Years active | 1964–2017 |
Laurie Oakes (born 14 August 1943 inNewcastle,New South Wales) is an Australian former journalist and author. He worked in theCanberra Press Gallery from 1969 to 2017, covering theParliament of Australia andfederal elections for print, radio, and television.
Oakes was born inNewcastle, New South Wales, the son of Wes and Hazel Oakes. His father worked forBHP as an accountant. When Oakes was six years old, his father was transferred toCockatoo Island, a small island off the coast ofDerby, Western Australia, where there was an iron ore mine. He began his schooling at a one-teacher school with only 20–30 children.[1] Oakes later moved back to New South Wales and attendedLithgow High School.[2][3] He was an editor of theUniversity of Sydney student newspaperHoni Soit in 1963.[4] He graduated in 1964 from the University of Sydney while working part-time with the SydneyDaily Mirror.
At the age of 25 he was the MelbourneSun's Canberra Bureau Chief and while working for that paper he began providing political commentaries for the TV program,Willesee at Seven. In 1978 he beganThe Laurie Oakes Report, a televised political journal. In 1979 he joinedNetwork Ten and worked there for five years. He has since written about politics forThe Age inMelbourne and theSunday Telegraph inSydney. He commentated for several radio stations.[5]
In 1980 he obtained a draft copy of the Australian federal budget before it was delivered in Parliament.[6]
In 1997, Oakes used leaked documents to report on abuse of parliamentary travel expenses, which ended the careers of three ministers, several other politicians and some of their staff.[5] More recently he used leaked documents showing theRudd Government ignored warnings from four key departments about its Fuelwatch scheme.[7]
Oakes has been a weekly contributor to variousPublishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) owned media outlets, including the formerChannel 9 television program,Sunday. He has also been a regular reporter forNine News.[8] He wrote a weekly column forThe Bulletin magazine until it ceased publication in January, 2008. Oakes then wrote for news.com.au publications until his retirement.[9]
He announced his retirement date as 18 August 2017.[10]
In a 2004 interview, Oakes said: "My personal politics are pretty much in the middle, I would think. I've voted both ways at various times. I don't know if perceptions about my politics influence whether people will be interviewed. [Paul]Keating used to boycott the program every now and again; not because he thought I was aLiberal but because he thought I wouldn't toe the line. Paul believed in rewards and punishment."[11]
Oakes has been nicknamed the "Sphere of Influence" byCrikey.[12]
In 1998 Oakes won theWalkley Award for journalistic leadership, and again in 2001 for television news reporting.[5] He claimed theGold Walkley in 2010 for his reporting of Labor leaks during thefederal election campaign.[13] In 2010, Oakes won theGraham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year award.[14]
In 2011, Oakes was inducted into theLogie Hall of Fame.[15]
He delivered the 2011Andrew Olle Media Lecture.[16]
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| Preceded by | Nine News Chief Political Editor 1984–2017 | Succeeded by |
