Peter Ryan retires from the ABC
In the 45th year of a distinguished career in journalism Peter Ryan has decided to retire from the ABC due to ill health.
Peter began his career as a copyboy and cadet on Sydney's Daily Mirror, and has held a variety of jobs over the years, but describes the ABC as his 'spiritual home'. His outstanding work in TV and radio news and current affairs, including his reporting for flagships AM , The World Today and PM , has made him a familiar face and voice to many Australians and earned him the enduring respect and appreciation of audiences and his peers.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers: 'Peter Ryan is an absolute legend. Every day as you wake up and you think about what's happening in the economy, if you only needed to listen to one voice to be sure that you got its essential elements, it would be Peter's.'
ABC Director, News Justin Stevens: 'In my conversations with Peter over the past year I've been inspired by his resilience, courage and humility. It's devastating news that he is having to retire. We will miss him greatly, and also his strong journalism and authoritative analysis.'
Listen to The World Today's tribute to Peter Ryan
Watch here: After 45 years, business reporter Peter Ryan has called time on his career
Peter's many career highlights include being the ABC's Washington Bureau Chief, head of TV news and current affairs in Victoria, Executive Producer of Business Breakfast , founding editor of Lateline Business , which later became The Business, and Business Editor. Since 2016 he has held the role of Senior Business Correspondent.
In 2017 Peter won a Walkley Award for his expose on the Commonwealth Bank scandal. His coverage contributed to the calling of the banking Royal Commission and in 2018 he was the National Press Club finance journalist of the year for his coverage of the commission.
In 2022 he was recognised with the Order of Australia medal for his significant service to journalism.
Peter has been a mentor to many younger journalists, generous with his time and experience. He was founding chairman of the Kennedy Foundation, a trustee on the board of the NSW Journalists Benevolent Fund and has had a long-term involvement with journalists' union the MEAA.
Peter's parting words of advice:
So what have I learned from 45 years in journalism? This is for younger and older colleagues alike.
When I look back at my start on Sydney's Daily Mirror in 1980, as an 18-year-old straight out of school, we were still printing newspapers off hot metal. People were smoking in newsrooms and there was a lot of yelling as deadlines ran down to the wire.
My parents were absolutely delighted when I was finally hired by the ABC in 1984. Our TV always seemed to be stuck on Channel 2, we were forced to watch the 7pm news every night and I had to listen to AM and PM in the kitchen.
I'd love to be with you all there, but one strong message I have is, never let anyone tell you the good old days were really that good – that's a bit of a myth.
I'd like to thank the ABC for taking so many risks with me over the years, giving me my dream of a foreign posting in Washington and then into big editorial roles.
But for me in the end it's all about being a reporter out in the real world telling it as it is. I'm always chuffed when I hear people tell me you're able to take complex issues and break them down into three good parts. When someone tells me that, that's more important than a whole lot of awards.
A few words of editorial advice. Avoid cynicism – be passionate. A good team can often be a very small team – I've worked in some of the best. Be proactive – come to the table with a great story so no one else comes up with a dud that might waste your time.
Work closely with top people – shut up and absorb like a sponge. Maintain a fastidious contact book – some low-profile contacts could soon move into higher powered roles or more importantly work in backrooms where the big decisions are often made.
Show up to work early and prove that you're ready to take on the big story of the day. Try to have a Plan B in your back pocket just in case your original brilliant idea doesn't go anywhere and the EP comes walking your way.
Finally: Be kind and caring to people who need it.
Media contact: Sally Jackson | ABC Communications
jackson.sally@abc.net.au
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Cafe owner wins latest battle against Coogee Diggers
A small-business owner who claimed the beer taps to her restaurant were cut off has won the latest round in her fight with management of a popular eastern suburbs club. Cece Cafe/Restaurant owner Tina Plessas was granted a three-month extension to orders allowing her to keep trading in the Coogee Diggers Club by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) on Friday afternoon. Ms Plessas had claimed club management had turned off the beer taps and cut access to her to electronic banking in a bid to 'forcibly evict' her last month. 'It's a small but meaningful victory for my staff, my customers and me until September,' a delighted Ms Plessas told after the ruling. 'It certainly gives this small business operator the relief and time I very much needed. Now back to work.' The parties will enter into mediation in a month. Ms Plessas is not the only tenant battling the community club for her right to trade within the building. A childcare centre which has leased space within the club for a decade is also engaged in litigation with the club alleging the childcare operator is responsible for 'millions' in damages to the historic 1930s building. Only About Children (OAC) childcare centre confirmed the litigation when contacted by 'Only About Children is currently working to resolve a landowner dispute in relation to its Carr Street campus in Coogee. As the matter is before the court, we are not in a position to comment further at this time,' a spokeswoman said. OAC sought to assure customers the dispute did not impact its quality of care offered to clients. The dispute heads to the Supreme Court in August. According to sources with knowledge of the dispute the matter relates to historic drainage issues. OAC childcare occupies a large indoor/outdoor area on the top level of the Carr Street building that was previously a redundant bowling green. Sources familiar with the litigation said the Diggers club is suing OAC for property damage which it alleges was caused by run off or drainage obstruction caused by the childcare centre. OAC is said to have already handed over a six-figure sum, in the ballpark of $100,000-$120,000, to the club to mitigate damages. Unsatisfied with that outcome, the community club's executive is pushing on with litigation and pursuing its tenant for millions of dollars. A close source said the Diggers club is pursuing the childcare centre for between $2 million and $3 million and alleges parts of the 95-year-old coastal building have concrete cancer that can be partially attributed to the childcare centre. Long-term members believe there are other more significant contributing factors including an indoor pool. OAC has 20 years to run on its lease. Coogee Diggers management refused to address questions specific to the childcare centre litigation when put them during the week. The club's six-person board also refused to answer questions. In a statement lawyers for the club said: 'Our focus remains on serving our members and continuing to invest in the long-term future of the club. We will not be drawn into a media campaign that seeks to undermine this commitment or discredit the club's leadership.' The club's boss is CEO Peter Gallagher on whose watch the Diggers has been partially transformed, via a $6 million to $8 million renovation, from its humble 1930s depression era clubhouse roots with support services for returned servicemen and women into a quasi commercial gym, albeit one with a tucked away old-style bistro, bar with poker machines. Despite the expensive facelift, the question for some RSL veterans is whether the community club remains true to its origins and as a family friendly centre. There is also the question of whether Mr Gallagher's privately shared personal vision, to create an up-market fitness and party precinct, reflects that of the broader local community. Having changed its constitution, the club is no longer affiliated with the local Coogee-Randwick-Clovelly RSL sub-branch. Critics point out that aside from offering a room in which the RSL sub-branch can hold the occasional meeting, plus a discount on gym memberships to local-only sub-branch members, the Diggers offer no services to retired war veterans. This, despite there being many young Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans living in the area. As one veteran pointed out, one doesn't have to look further than the Coogee Diggers' manifesto, published on its website, to see how far the club has drifted from its RSL roots. 'Think about this – If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery-isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire,' the manifesto states. Concerning its strategic direction a lawyer speaking on behalf of the club's CEO said: 'Coogee Diggers has operated under its Registered Club licence for over 90 years and has no intention of altering this status.' Recruited as CEO in 2019, Mr Gallagher is an enigmatic character who prides himself on being a transformation agent. Originally from Victoria, the openly gay CEO, said to be in his late forties, lives in a splendid Federation home in Woollahra, one which he's understood to be painstakingly renovating on his $200,000 annual Diggers' club salary plus 'commission' bonuses. Mr Gallagher appears to have edited his social media presence since put questions to him earlier this month about his business dispute with the club's tenant, hospitality manager Tina Plessas of Cece's restaurant. He deleted both his LinkedIn and Facebook accounts within days of this reporter contacting him for comment. The LinkedIn account had recorded part of his professional history including his time working for PCYC NSW and St Vincent de Paul. Mr Gallagher also had a term at Coogee Diggers in 2006 and 2007. A period working at Bentley RSL in Victoria around 2008 was omitted. During his current term at the Diggers Club, Mr Gallagher has polarised staff with his assertive management style. Following recent articles concerning Ms Plessas's contract dispute with Coogee Diggers club, five former ex-employees spoke to about disputes with the club. One former employee who managed the Diggers' gym centre claimed staff from different departments were told not to speak with board directors or each other, and that they were constantly monitored by surveillance cameras. On one occasion she claims she was questioned about a casual conversation she had with a club board director. 'All staff were forbidden from talking to board members,' the former employee, who asked to be known as Ann, said. 'We were told not to talk about what was going on within the broader business. The gym staff weren't to talk to the swimming centre staff weren't to talk to the bar staff. That's how (the club) operated.' In response to questions about these allegations, the club said: 'As with all licensed venues, Coogee Diggers operates CCTV for safety and compliance purposes only. The club strictly adheres to all relevant governance and privacy obligations.' Ann claimed Mr Gallagher made it clear he planned to transform the club into 'the ultimate destination for a party and recovery cycle' by growing the club's gym membership and creating a 'Justin Hemmes' style restaurant/bar with a party scene out the back'. Despite at one time being one of Mr Gallagher's most trusted lieutenants, Ann was sacked by him in 2023. She said the CEO told her she was fired for allegedly breaching compliance standards by employing gym staff who didn't possess Working with Children credentials. Ann maintains Mr Gallagher signed off on the recruitment of those employees personally and with full knowledge of their noncompliance. 'He advised me to tell them to apply for their Working with Children permit after they got the job,' she said. A bonus payment promised earlier in her tenure was subsequently revoked, with the club claiming Ann's role as gym manager was never formalised. Another staff member who successfully took Coogee Diggers to Fair Work winning an unfair dismissal payout – and apology – from the CEO, was former gaming and bar supervisor, Rita. A full-time employee of five years, Rita was made redundant in 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic. Rita had oversight of the poker machines, TAB and bar and said she felt compelled to speak with treatment of club patrons. 'He never said hello to them. It seemed he didn't like the patrons, particularly the ones who came in every day,' she told Three other former club employees who spoke to described their concerns with the club. One former fitness centre manager described how he said he felt pressured to resign. Two staff who worked in the swimming centre described feeling 'unsupported' working for Coogee Diggers. 'I was left with morbid anxiety and depression. I felt diminished,' one employee said. 'I would receive calls after working hours and be yelled at over the phone.'
ABC News
38 minutes ago
- ABC News
Burgertory boss Hash Tayeh hit with $1m tax bill over company debts
The boss of Victorian fast-food chain Burgertory has been hit with a $1 million tax bill for debts allegedly run up by 12 companies where he was formerly a director. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has issued notices holding Melbourne businessman Hash Tayeh personally liable for the debts. It launched legal action in the County Court in February seeking to recover the money from him. In documents filed with the court the ATO alleged the companies had not paid the full amount they owed in withholding tax on employee wages, GST and superannuation contributions at various times while Mr Tayeh was a director between October 2020 and March last year. Tax law allows the ATO to issue people who run companies with director penalty notices holding them personally liable for tax debts run up by the business while they were at the helm. In a string of cases lodged with the Federal Court in April and May, the ATO has also applied to have all but one of the same dozen companies wound up over their tax debts. The court appointed a liquidator to one of the companies, Box Hill BRG, earlier this month, but the remaining cases have yet to be decided. Speaking to the ABC Mr Tayeh accused the Australian Tax Office of "harassment" and told the ABC most of the companies were owned and directed by other people who were Burgertory licensees. "This is not a tax issue, it's a campaign of targeted harassment against me," he said. "Burgertory is still growing and we are about to announce our expansion to the Philippines in the coming days." He said he was unaware of the County Court lawsuit until contacted by the ABC but had received the director penalty notices that made him liable for the debts and that they were with his lawyer. Mr Tayeh is Palestinian and has been a prominent member of the pro-Palestinian movement in Melbourne. He is facing a separate legal battle over his activism. In March, he was charged with using insulting words in public for allegedly stating "all Zionists are terrorists" at a rally in Melbourne's CBD last year. The businessman is fighting the charges, which are punishable by up to two months in prison, and told the ABC they were "baseless". Mr Tayeh's property has also been damaged in two arson attacks. A petrol bomb damaged the front door of his Templestowe Lower house in April last year, while his Caulfield North outlet was destroyed in a deliberately lit fire in November 2023. The ATO declined to comment.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
South Australia puts pause to plastic fruit sticker ban over fears of extra cost to farmers
South Australia has delayed the rollout of a nation-leading ban on plastic fruit stickers over fears the cost will be too much for farmers. The state was set to become the first jurisdiction in the country to make the environmentally-friendly move in September, with NSW looking at a similar ban. But the South Australian State Government has paused their rollout and now says both states will work together to save money, following concerns fruit and vegetable producers were doing it tough and the cost of new stickers would make it more difficult for them to continue to provide to SA markets. 'NSW already had a commitment that they would get rid of these plastic fruit stickers and move to compostable by 2030 — our discussion will be how much sooner than that can we go,' SA Environment Minister Susan Close said. 'We will be able to get rid of these (stickers) which, admittedly, everybody hates … but I didn't want to cause disruption in supermarkets for people wanting to buy products and I didn't want to cause too much harm to our local producers either.' The alternative to plastic fruit stickers are either compostable labels, uncoated paper stickers or laser etchings. SA taking the lead to cut out plastic stickers meant farmers would be squeezed; compostable stickers are about twice the price, and any fruit sold in the state would need to adhere, regardless if it was grown interstate. But the eco-friendly September 1 deadline will still bring anti-plastic changes. From September in SA, plastic fish-shaped soy sauce bottles are banned, as are plastic cutlery and straws which come attached to food and drinks, such as straws on juice boxes. South Australia was the first state to ban light weight plastic shopping bags, which came into effect in 2009; Victoria and then NSW were the last to follow suit, more than a decade later.
