Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Tuesday 26 June
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
The Fifth Estate is the Wheeler Centre’s new series of fortnightly forums: a more measured approach to news and current affairs. Provocative and studied, authoritative and unhurried, this is real analysis that will be pulling no punches. Hosted by broadcaster, journalist and anthropologist Sally Warhaft, the Fifth Estate is indispensible live journalism. All events are recorded, with podcast episodes posted on our website by noon the following day.
When a jubilant Maxine McKew ousted sitting prime minister John Howard from his own seat of Bennelong on election night 2007, nobody could have foreseen the events to come in the new Labor government’s first term. A star recruit for Kevin Rudd’s team, Maxine McKew left a distinguished career in journalism to experience life in politics. What are her thoughts about the current political scene? How has the media shaped contemporary political culture in Australia? And what is life like after politics for Maxine McKew? Join host Sally Warhaft for a wide-ranging conversation in this ‘spotlight’ edition of the Fifth Estate.
Featuring
Sally Warhaft
Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, the Wheeler Centre’s live series focusing on journalism, politics, media, and international relations, and The Leap Year ...
Maxine McKew
Maxine McKew is an author and Hon Enterprise Professor of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne.
Her most recent book, published by Melbourne University Press in 2014, is Class Act – a study of the key challenges in Australian schooling. This publication followed the success of her memoir, Tales From the Political Trenches, an account of her brief but tumultuous time in the Federal Parliament.
Maxine’s background traverses both journalism and politics. For many years she was a familiar face to ABC TV viewers and was anchor of prestigious programmes such as The 7.30 Report and Lateline. Her work has been recognized by her peers with both Walkley and Logie Awards. When she left journalism and made the switch to politics, she wrote herself into the Australian history books by defeating Prime Minister John Howard in the Sydney seat of Bennelong. In government she was parliamentary secretary for early childhood and later, for regional development and local government.