Stories that Changed Australia

by Sally Neighbour

The Stories That Changed Australia: 50 Years Of Four Corners is a collection of articles from a who's who of Australian journalism, including Chris Masters, David Marr, Caroline Jones and Sally Neighbour.

Structured around the themes of Politics, Crime and Corruption, War and Terrorism, Immigration, and the Environment, it charts the development of some of the most fascinating stories in Australian history.

Genres: History, Australia

274 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[John]

15 reporters who have worked on 4Corners since its inception report in 1961until 2011 on both the institution of 4C and the content they were working on. One of the major programs in early days was David Marr’s Box Ridge, which for the first time made ordinary Australians aware of the frightful conditions aboriginals were living under: this stimulated a surge of programs on First Nations’ conditions. Other programs at that time prompted then PM Menzies to say “the sole reason for that wretched program is to discredit me and my government.” He was wrong: 4C discredited governments both Labor and Liberal ever since: Labor PMs Keating and Hawke also loathed the program, which says a lot for its objectivity. Savage cuts by the Fraser Govt meant cuts in staffing and quality and the program nearly died until Jonathon Holmes was imported from Panorama in 1982 to liven things up. An early program that shocked was about teen boys gangbanging and when the girl said she’d had enough the boys just kept on going. Chris Master’s “The Moonlight State” exposed the corruption in Bjelke-Petersen’s Queensland, which led to the Fitzgerald Inquiry and the end of Bjelke-Petersen. Masters also reported on exposing corruption in rugby football and famine in Ethiopia. A program on the Yom Kippur war in 1973 revealed the Israel savagery to the Syrians that we are seeing on grander scale today in Palestine. Mary Delahunty revealed how Australian Aid to the Philippines, ostensibly for building a road for farmers to access markets, was instead used by Marcos to attack those farmers. Sally Neighbour exposed corruption in the Kennet Government re Crown Casino (which years later is again under scrutiny). So many stories, but a favourite of mine is Liz Jackson’s accounts of her interviews with John Howard and his amazingly clever stonewalling when asked probing questions (p. 187 ff for eye-opening examples). Probably the most stomach churning chapter is that by Debbie Whitmont on Australia’s viciously cruel and illegal treatment of asylum seekers, policies that were initiated by the Liberals but endorsed by Labor because they were too craven to open themselves to charges of being “soft on border protection” (at least Albanese has recently softened Labor’s approach on treatment of asylum seekers ). Other chapters that have brought real changes in policy are Sarah Ferguson’s “A Bloody Business” on the cruel way Australian cattle were treated in Indonesian abattoirs that made Australian cattle owners weep at how their cattle were being treated. Her “Code of Silence” revealed how top Rugby League players bonded by gangraping girls, with devastating effects as described in two cases. Altogether a stunning account of the effects one TV program has had on public awareness and resulting changes in public policy. This book takes the story to 2012 – with much important material not mentioned here – and 12 years later the programme is still serving public policy where things have gone badly wrong.

[PeterBlackCoach]

Enjoyed this from 2 perspectives - some of the best stories and backgrounds thereto from one of the leading TV current affairs shows in Australia AND a summary of the recent history and issues in the country

[Brad Webb]

Great to connect with vague childhood memories and understand their perspective in this 50 year snapshot of Australian history.