Crowe toasts talkback titan for platforming ‘voiceless’
Alex Mitchell |
Russell Crowe has celebrated the life of influential broadcaster John Laws, declaring he “platformed the voiceless and let them be heard”.
Laws, one of Australia’s most influential and controversial broadcasters whose career spanned seven decades, was farewelled at a state funeral after dying peacefully on November 9, aged 90.
Prominent leaders including former prime minister John Howard, renegade MP Barnaby Joyce and NSW Premier Chris Minns packed into Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral, along with fellow broadcasters Richard Wilkins and Ben Fordham.
Hollywood actor Crowe, who was a neighbour of Laws’ and delivered a eulogy at the funeral, said the broadcaster’s famous show-ending tagline – “be kind to each other” – summed up his true priorities.
“We hardly ever agreed on anything,” he told fellow mourners.
“From bike lanes to politics, we were quite often on opposite sides of any issues.
“However, we did agree that we liked each other’s company, and our different perspectives never stopped us from making each other laugh.”
Fellow neighbour Paul Warren noted Laws had interviewed a whopping 16 prime ministers on radio.
“All of them knew they were about to face one of the sharpest minds in Australia,” he said.
Laws’ famed golden microphone, given to him by 2UE management in an effort to woo the ratings juggernaut, held pride of place alongside his coffin in the cathedral.
Tributes have flowed since his death including from many past and present politicians, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelling the broadcaster as “an iconic Australian”.
Along with Mr Albanese, former prime ministers Paul Keating and John Howard have spoken glowingly of Laws and his legendary career, with the former once calling him the “broadcaster of the century”.
“John Laws was a towering figure in Australian radio whose voice resonated across the nation for more than seven decades,” Premier Chris Minns said after his death.
“His legacy lies not only in the thousands of hours on air, but in the connection he forged with millions of Australians.”
Laws launched his radio career in Bendigo in 1953, before he joined 2UE and worked four separate stints at the Sydney station.
He also worked for 2GB, 2UW and 2SM and had short periods at Network Ten and Foxtel.
Laws’ career was not without scandal.
He and fellow radio star Alan Jones were found to have been taking cash for favourable coverage from certain brands.
The Australian Broadcasting Authority found Laws, Jones and 2UE breached the industry code 90 times and breached their station’s licence conditions five times.
Nearly 40,000 people also demanded he undergo training in 2013 as he defended an interview in which he asked a 44-year-old victim of child sex abuse whether it was “in any way your fault”.
AAP
