Laurie Oakes
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Laurie Oakes is an Australian political journalist and commentator. For much of the last 40 years he has covered the Parliament of Australia in the Canberra Press Gallery, covering every Federal election since 1966.
Oakes political commentary is often cutting, and he is well known for getting leaked political information. His interviewing style is equally incisive, and based on good research or inside information. In 1997 Oakes used leaked documents to break the travel rorts saga that ended the careers of three Ministers and several other high ranking politicians and staffers.
Oakes graduated from the University of Sydney in 1964. He was also working part time with the Sydney Daily Mirror. At the age of 25 he was the Melbourne Sun'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 began The Laurie Oakes Report, a televised political journal. In 1979 he joined Channel 10 for five years. He has since written about politics for The Age in Melbourne and the Sunday Telegraph in Sydney. He has commentated for several radio stations.
Most recently, Oakes has been a weekly contributor various Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) owned media outlets, notably the Channel 9 television program, Sunday, and regular reporter for National Nine News. He writes a weekly column for The Bulletin magazine.
[edit] Awards
In 1998 Oakes won the Walkley Award for Journalistic Leadership, and again in 2001 for television news reporting.
[edit] Books
- The Making of an Australian Prime Minister (1972, co-author)
- Whitlam P.M (1973)
- Grab for Power (1974, co-author)
- Crash through or Crash (1975)
- How Will I Vote (1984)
[edit] External links
- Columns at The Bulletin - Oakes' is Power Plays
