Stephen Brook
Special correspondent, The Age
Stephen Brook is a special correspondent for The Age. He was previously deputy editor of The Sunday Age and a CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former media diarist and features editor of The Australian. He spent six years in London working for The Guardian.
Vale
Harold Mitchell
Premiers and billionaires line up to farewell an ad industry giant
Three former premiers and business magnates were among the mourners who gathered to farewell media businessman and philanthropist Harold Mitchell.
- by Stephen Brook
Move over, Met Gala: Labor’s budget night bash the big ticket in town
Tickets to a Labor budget night fundraiser have sold out. The Liberals, meanwhile, can’t fill their tables.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
You come at Kyle Sandilands’ salary, you best not miss
The crude, rude and fabulously wealthy shock jock’s salary details could be handed to opposing lawyers after the radio industry lost a fight in the Copyright Tribunal.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
A Zoom speech from Joe Hockey? That’ll be $20,000 please
Ten years after declaring the “age of entitlement” was over, the former treasurer’s time comes with a hefty price tag.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Box billionaire goes Pratty in pink at the Met Gala
Visy cardboard king Anthony Pratt was one of the brightest figures on the glamour carpet in New York, if not the best dressed.
- by Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
CBD
CBD
Upstart writers festival aiming to take Melbourne’s mantle
This week’s Melbourne Writers Festival will hope to capture the same success as the Sorrento Writers Festival held last month.
- by Stephen Brook
Kerryn Phelps’ strange wake-up call to her fellow Australians
The former Wentworth MP appeared to claim that Australian democracy was under threat from sharia in a deleted post on X.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
This prominent Melburnian thinks Australia is failing Ukraine. He’s trying to fill the gaps
Investor James Baillieu, the nephew of former premier Ted Baillieu, says the war in Ukraine has been wiped off the news cycle and the Australian government doesn’t care.
- by Stephen Brook
Exclusive
Pop music
ABBA close to landing Flemington as venue for spectacular virtual concert
Spectacular 3D virtual concert ABBA Voyage is close to signing a deal to call Melbourne home. But are our major events safe in a tough budget environment?
- by Stephen Brook
Analysis
Radio
Kyle and Jackie O have hit Melbourne’s airwaves. I listened for a week … so you don’t have to
It’s brazen, profane, sexual, demeaning and frequently flouts broadcasting standards but at times, it’s weirdly compelling. Here’s what it was like to take in a full week of their antics.
- by Stephen Brook