How did you get into journalism?

 I didn’t get an orthodox cadetship. I was hired directly from the public service, from the Parliamentary and Government Division of Prime Minister’s Department in Canberra. I wrote to five newspapers seeking a career switch to political journalism. I was fortunate enough to be hired by The Australian in 1971.

Which media companies have you worked for?

The two big print media corporations. I was employed initially by The Australian, from 1971 to 1975. From 1976 to 1984 I worked for the Fairfax company in a range of positions – political correspondent of The National Times from 1976 to 1978 and again in 1980, deputy editor of The National Times 1978-79 and chief political correspondent and bureau chief, The Sydney Morning Herald from 1981 to 1984. 

In 1985 I returned to The Australian as Canberra-based National Affairs Editor. I was the paper’s Editor-in-Chief from 1991 to 1996 and since then I have been in writing roles as International Editor and then Editor-at-Large. 

Having watched national politics at close quarters for half a century, how do you rate the most prominent figures you have covered?

I regard Bob Hawke as the best Labor prime minister, John Howard as the best Liberal prime minister, Paul Keating as the best agent of reform and Billy McMahon as the worst prime minister.

Who have been the most influential political journalists during your time?

 I think three stand out – Maximilian Walsh from the Australian Financial Review, Allan Barnes from The Age and Laurie Oakes.

Of all the governments you have covered which has attracted your strongest support and why?

The Hawke/Keating government of the 1980s for its historic de-regulation of the Australian economy, its pursuit of pro-market policies with equity and its ability to implement reforms and win elections.

What has been the most dramatic story in your career?

The 1975 constitutional crisis culminating in the dismissal of Gough Whitlam by the Governor-General.

I have been a sustained, fervent critics of Sir John Kerr. I believe the crisis involving the three-way tussle between Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser and Kerr is the most intriguing and turbulent clash of personalities and power in our history.

Do you believe Australia should become a republic?

Yes, absolutely.

I have always been a republican. I gave an address to the National Press Club in 1994 supporting the republican cause and from my time in the Prime Minister’s Department I have been a student of the powers and role of the Governor-General and relationship between the office and the Palace. I was a strong supporter of the republican campaign during the 1990s and of the 1999 referendum. But in recent years, collaborating with my fellow author, Troy Bramston, I have been a critic of the theory that the Queen was an agent of Whitlam’s dismissal. Based on the evidence and the documents I believe this is an extraordinary falsification of history and that it will only undermine the efforts to secure a republic.

How do you approach your job as a political journalist?

I see the task as being to probe, investigate, explain and assess.

Leaders and government should be held to account. But the means to achieve this lie in accurate, honest, tough and fair journalism. The good and the bad of what leaders do should be put before the public. Both are vital. My approach is historical scepticism – that all government make mistakes – and philosophical optimism – that there should be a better way. Journalists will form opinions and that’s essential but they must test their own opinions and be prepared to change their mind when the facts and the world change.

Have you ever sought to influence events? 

No honest journalist is likely to deny that.

But in my view being an ideological activist is a bridge too far as distinct from arguing for a particular position or policy. 

There was a particular position I took seeking to get an outcome. I recommended to Tony Abbott that the Anzac Centenary be marked by the creation of an Australian interpretative centre on the Western Front, located next to the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux, France. Abbott’s commitment as prime minister made the Sir John Monash Centre a reality. It was unveiled on this location on 24 April, 2018.