This Month
- Opinion
- Opinion
A distinctive thinker who transformed Australian law
Paul Finn made his mark as one of the great equity lawyers with his 1977 book Fiduciary Obligations exploring our obligations to act in the best interests of others.
- Tim Bonyhady
Hayden’s achievements draw praise from politicians past and present
The ‘Labor Party giant’ has been credited with midwifing Australia’s Asian engagement and paving the way for the opening up of the economy.
- Andrew Clark
September
Why Mohamed al-Fayed could never buy what he craved most
He went from street trader to Harrods tycoon, but the ‘Phoney Pharaoh’ was rejected by the elite and haunted by the death of Diana and Dodi.
- Ed Cumming
Jimmy Buffett’s hangover hit ‘Margaritaville’ made him a mogul
Buffett’s biggest hit became the cornerstone of a lucrative branding empire that included restaurants, resorts, housewares, a musical and retirement communities.
- Updated
- Kim Bellware
August
UK broadcaster Michael Parkinson dies
The huge cricket fan, best known for interviewing some of the world’s biggest stars, including Shane Warne, on his long-running chat show, has died aged 88.
- Reuters
- Opinion
- Australian economy
The scholar who helped transform Australia
Wolfgang Kasper’s productive, challenging and insightful work informed what became the great era of economic reform in the 1980s.
- Jeff Bennett and Greg Lindsay
Mike Ahern, giant of Qld politics, remembered as a man of integrity
The forrmer Queensland premier had famously declared that he would implement the findings of the Fitzgerald inquiry “lock, stock and barrel”.
- Robyn Wuth
July
Provocative, gifted Irish star Sinead O’Connor dead at 56
The shaven-headed singer sparked controversy for her political stances and led an often-troubled private life but was acclaimed for her fierce, haunting music.
- Sylvia Hui
France’s favourite English woman dies, leaving the Birkin behind
Jane Birkin was a defining figure of the 1970s. Her death was confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron of France, who called her “a French icon”.
- Constant Méheut
June
Labor’s journeyman leaves a legacy of principle and reform
Simon Crean is being remembered for his principled opposition to Australia’s involvement in the invasion of Iraq.
- Phillip Coorey
Successful and content: a stockbroker’s rich life
University dropout David Constable found success in finance when practical experience and good instincts were valued over advanced degrees.
- Aaron Patrick
May
Rolf Harris, paedophile and disgraced children’s entertainer, dead at 93
Rolf Harris became one of Britain’s most beloved children’s television stars but was later revealed to be a serial sex offender who attacked dozens of young girls.
- Martin Evans
Writer Amis, who brought rock ‘n’ roll sensibility to his work, dies
The author best known for novels including Money and The Information has died from cancer of the esophagus at age 73.
Tony Staley, former Liberal Party president, dies aged 83
Despite a near-fatal car accident, the former minister became federal president of the Liberal Party, helping propel John Howard to become prime minister.
- Gus McCubbing
April
Jerry Springer, politician turned TV ringmaster, dies
The “Jerry Springer Show”, which ran for nearly three decades from 1991, brought fights, flying chairs and the fringes of US society to a global audience.
- Dan Sewell
Harry Belafonte, barrier-breaking singer and activist, dies at 96
“Purism is the best cover-up for mediocrity,” he told The New York Times in 1959, when he was the most highly paid black performer in history.
- Peter Keepnews
‘The greatest comedian since Charlie Chaplin’
Through a career spanning seven decades, Barry Humphries emerged as a creative genius and one of the world’s greatest comics.
- Andrew Clark
Mother of the miniskirt, Mary Quant, dies
The British revolutionary fashion designer, who has died aged 93, was to clothes what The Beatles were to pop music.
- Penelope Green
Farewell John Olsen, a titan of Australian art
When we look back on this complex, vital, sometimes selfish man and his achievements, it’s the bright-eyed, charming, self-confident character that one remembers.
- John McDonald
Nigel Lawson, architect of Thatcher’s economic reforms, dies at 91
Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1983 and 1989, he championed lower personal taxes, wider share ownership and free market economics.
- Muvija M and William Schomberg
