Australian radio broadcaster dies aged 90
In 2014, communications watchdog the Australian Communications and Media Authority found he had breached the law’s privacy provisions after reading the full name and phone number of a listener who was critical of his program live on air. He breached the rules once again in 2020 for a “dangerous” suicidal insult directed at an audience member.
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Laws received the OBE in 1974, followed by the CBE in 1978, and was awarded International Broadcaster of the Year in 2004. During his career he was inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame, the Australian Media Hall of Fame and the Country Music Association Hall of Fame.
Over the decades, Laws built a reputation as a formidable interviewer with politicians of all persuasions, befriending a succession of prime ministers and influencing mainstream political views.
For example, during an interview with John Laws in May 1986, while Prime Minister Bob Hawke was traveling abroad, Paul Keating famously warned that Australia was in danger of becoming a “banana republic”, code for third-rate economics, following some bad economic news.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the former broadcaster, saying he had “an iconic voice and so much more”.
“Generations of Australians have trusted and respected him because he gets it straight, goes deep and gives his guests and listeners a chance to be heard,” he wrote in X.
“I offer my condolences to his loved ones and all those who benefited from his wisdom and guidance.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns called Laws “a towering figure on Australian radio whose voice has resonated across the country for more than seven decades.”
“His legacy lies not only in the thousands of hours of broadcasting, but also in the connection he made with millions of Australians,” Minns said in a statement.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce said he had known Laws all his life and that “good talkback presenters have the golden trait for success; they are very smart with facts and very good with psychology”.
“From his time in 2LF to his end in 2SM, he never lost it. I’m really sorry, I think we’ll just call each other friends.”
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