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Monday, 30th November 2020

Ramsey, Mr Alan Graham

Mr ALBANESE (GrayndlerLeader of the Opposition) (13:57): The death last week of Alan Ramsey has deprived Australia of a man who was part journalist, part force of nature. For those with an interest in politics, opening your Sydney Morning Herald on a Saturday morning was how it began. It was like walking into a thunderstorm. There, hovering like a cloud at the top of his words, was his face—not so much to welcome you in but to give fair warning of what was to come, and then it was on for young and old. An Alan Ramsey column could absolutely rock with thunder, and the lightning that came with it served two purposes: (1) it gave flashes of illumination amid the darkness and (2) it scorched everyone it hit. But even the most ferocious of Alan's writing was an expression of tough love from a man who knew that those of us in this place could and should do better.


 

He was a man of courage on so many levels. He reported the truth from a brutal war. He learned about politics as a staffer for Bill Hayden. He was not afraid to be wrong. He was not afraid to be sentimental or to express his admiration. In an age where cool rationality was the supposed ideal of political journalism, he let his head and his heart rule his writing, sometimes in rocky tandem. Alan Ramsey was indeed a giant of journalism. May he rest in peace.

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Electorate Office

334a Marrickville Rd
Marrickville NSW 2204

Phone: 02 9564 3588

Parliament House Office

Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: 02 6277 7700

Phone: (02) 9564 3588
Fax: (02) 9564 1734
Email: A.Albanese.MP@aph.gov.au

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our offices stand and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the sorrow of the Stolen Generations and the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We also recognise the resilience, strength and pride of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Authorised by Anthony Albanese, ALP, Canberra.