Chris Masters - Jonestown: The Power And The Myth Of Alan Jones

a textbook example of how to write a biography of a public
figure and a fascinating, compulsively readable account of not
just a man but also a city.
Herald Sun

Jonestown is a sad, often empathetic, portrait of a successful
but deeply flawed individual.
Bridget Griffen-Foley, Sydney Morning Herald

The aim of Jonestown is to take Jones seriously as a person
and as a broadcaster, so as to begin a serious debate about the
nexus between politics and the media in Australia [it] is an
important contribution to that debate.
Matthew Ricketson, The Age

Jonestown is a fascinating account of a man who, by rights,
should not play such a prominent role in NSW and turns the
spotlight on those who wrongly thought they could use him
when all the while he was using them.
Sun Herald

Masters account of the abuse of political power is startling.
Mike Carlton, Sydney Morning Herald

Chris Masters has done extensive research and the result is a
compelling story of the rise and rise of Alan Jones.
Newcastle Herald

an extraordinarily well-written, well-researched biography.
Illawarra Mercury

CHRIS MASTERS

THE POWER AND THE MYTH OF ALAN JONES

First published in 2006

This paperback edition published in 2007

Copyright Chris Masters 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

83 Alexander Street

Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:

Masters, Chris, 1948 .

Jonestown: the power and the myth of Alan Jones.

Includes index.

ISBN 978 1 74175 156 7 (hb).

ISBN 978 1 74175 320 3 (pb).

1. Jones, Alan, 1943. 2. Radio broadcasters New South
Wales Sydney Biography. 3. Rugby football coaches
Australia Biography. 4. Speechwriters Australia
Biography. I. Title.

791.443

Set in 10 on 12.5pt Sabon

Printed by Griffin Press, Adelaide

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my father Charlie (19141988)
Teaching us still

I STILL THINK OF THE UNOFFICIAL swearing in of prospective New South Wales Police Minister Michael Costa at Alan Jones home in November 2001 as dumbfounding. New South Wales Premier Bob Carr must have known it was stupid. Carr had scant respect for Jones, and Carrs advisors had even less respect for the broadcasters advisors, also assembled.

Successive administrations in New South Wales had learned to treat policing as an unexploded bomb, so for Carr to surrender reason and bargain with a sensitive portfolio says a lot about the power of Alan Jones. The episode is even more remarkable when you consider the timing and Jones reputation. The preceding year Australian Broadcasting Authority findings had seriously challenged Jones honesty and integrity.

The episode raises important questions. What does it say about my own industry that a man succeeds despiteor even because ofdishonesty? And what does it say about the rest of us who allow him so much power? In November 2001, with a future Four Corners program in mind, I began asking questions about Alan Jones. Within days his own question bounced back to me through the canyons of Sydney: Does he think Im a cunt?

Above the din of Australias largest city the tattle lifts and settles. The rules of all jungles require reliable intelligence on the disposition of the enemy. In Jonestown Alan has constructed his own world, where particular attention is paid to understanding boundaries between allies and enemies. When he asked Does he think Im a cunt? he wanted to know where I stood.

At the time I knew he had been a teacher, a political speechwriter and rugby coach before becoming a famous broadcaster. I had heard some of the whispers that had been circulating for decades about his ongoing bachelor status. But before 2001 I had no particular interest in Alan Jones, which makes the last few years of intensive investigation surprising, even to me.

From the start, listening to his radio program, I understood there was a lot worth learning. Alan Jones breaches many conventions about what works on radio. He does not run away from feel bad subjects, championing causes such as care for the disabled and respect for victims of mental illness. While the national attention span ever narrows, Alan runs uninterrupted interviews in prime time for 15 minutes and more. In Australias largest radio market he has dominated ratings for 15 years. His power, whether real or perceived, has all manner of princes and premiers bowing before him.

The more telephone calls I made the more his power intrigued and worried me. While I was not going to waste concern on quivering politicians, it seemed unhealthy for ordinary people, even his friends, to be so frightened of Alan. As they routinely sought permission before speaking to me, I saw that Jones was not just powerful, but controlling. And this was even more disturbing. Whereas I accept that people commonly feel discomfort about lack of control over their reputation, a world where reputations are controlled is far more frightening.

Two weeks after the notorious swearing in of Michael Costa, I sat down with Alan Jones at the same address. My brother Roy had brokered the meeting at Jones request. The two former football coaches were well acquainted. Indeed, Roy was one to pass on Jones crudely expressed query about what I thought of him. The Alan Jones I sat down with on 30 November 2001 was courteous and composed. Conversation proceeded as through quicksand, his composure slipping just once, shifted by a short circuit spark of anger when I tried to make a point about police reform. Alan is not used to disagreement. The meeting trailed away and I slumped off, even more bothered.

My next engagement that day was a Friends of the ABC Christmas party. I am sure part of my unease stemmed from my sense that I was about to be drafted into a kind of Left versus Right, commercial versus public, culture war. When I mentioned at the gathering that I had just spoken to Alan Jones there was a rasp of scoffing, which brought no comfort. The ABC is supposed to exist for all Australians. The idea that my friends are Alans enemies would be worrying if it were true.

I view the new ideological boundaries, like Jones politics, as more complicatedindeed, all over the place. I came to understand that the politicians who most appeased him were from the New South Wales Labor Party and that while his strongest political allies are certainly Liberal, his strongest political enemies are also Liberal.

There was already too much ground to cover when I put my Four Corners