The Australian’s political and economic commentator George Megalogenis has taken redundancy from News Limited to pursue his career as an author. Megalogenis began his journey as a reporter at the Melbourne Sun and spent 11 years in the Canberra press gallery between 1988 and 1999, before returning to Melbourne as a senior writer.
How he has sat on the high-wire of the political divide, articulately delivering opinions on the most vital economic issues affecting the country today, combined with a meticulous attention to detail, are key to the immense respect he developed in his readers. In his final post on his much-admired blog Meganomics last week, he announced that he was leaving to spend more time writing books. His last post was entitled Geia sou: The first article I had published in a newspaper was about the senior Gary Ablett’s knee.
The first big story I covered in the federal parliamentary press gallery had a number in it. A number so wild it had to be wrong, but the nation was in boom at the time so no one noticed. The opening two paragraphs are worth repeating here, for old time’s sake: “MILLIONS of confused moths may die at the hands of Australia’s beacon of democracy, the lighted flagpole at the new Parliament House.
“Swarms of Bogong moths heading for breeding grounds in the Victorian and NSW Alps have invaded the House.”
On my first day at the Melbourne Sun in 1986 the Challenger space shuttle crashed. On my first day working for the News Ltd bureau in Canberra in 1988, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating were kissing and making up after a public tiff following that year’s budget. My first day on The Australian in 1991 was uneventful. There I remained another 21 years, eight more in Canberra and the final 12 or so in my old hometown of Melbourne.
I will miss every part of the newspaper business – the colleagues, the scoops, and the readers. Thank you to everyone here who made this blog one of the most enjoyable parts of my career. I learnt more in our exchanges over the past five years than in any background briefing from prime ministers or treasurers… Megalogenis’ regular analyses in The Australian helped explain the whys and wherefores of public policy to a wide audience and his columns were required reading by Australia’s political leaders of all persuasions.
Not many authors get a sitting Prime Minister to launch their latest work but Julia Gillard duly obliged for the launch of his latest book The Australian Moment. In a timely coincidence The Australian Moment was shortlisted last week for a Walkley Book Award. Labor Federal Minister Penny Wong offered a message in a tweet that will no doubt be shared by many: “Huge loss for the oz and current political debate.
Hope there will be many other avenues for mega contribution.” In characteristic style, George’s last comments on his blog included the following description of himself: “The illegitimate son of Rupert Murdoch and Margaret Thatcher. Entered journalism in the midish ’80s, when deregulation was all the rage. Leaving it when we are all raging at deregulation.”