Alan Jones AO (born 13 April 1943) is an Australian commercial radio personality, in the genre sometimes known as a shock jock; he has had a parallel career as a Rugby Union and Rugby League coach and administrator (both, see section - Controversy). Before this, he was a teacher and he later became a speech writer for various politicians, including the current Prime Minister, John Howard. Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, wearing on her left shoulder the Order of Australias Sovereign Badge. ... 13 April is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... A shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of radio broadcaster (sometimes a disk jockey) who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. ... Image from a test-match between Ireland and the New Zealand All Blacks. ... Rugby league is a team sport, played by two teams of 13 players. ... A teachers room in a Japanese middle school, 2005. ... One might be looking for the academic discipline of communications. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... The office of Prime Minister is in practice the most powerful political office in the Commonwealth of Australia. ... John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the countrys 25th Prime Minister. ...

Jones was born and raised on a dairy farm near Oakey in south-east Queensland and attended primary school in the area before high school at Toowoomba Grammar School as a boarder. Oakey (postcode 4401) is a rural town situated in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... Toowoomba Grammar School is a non-denominational grammar school located in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia which was founded in 1875 as a consequence of the Grammar Schools Act of 1860 passed by Queenslands first parliament. ... A boarder may be a person who: snowboards skateboards surfboards stays at a boarding house attends a Boarding school See also: board This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Like his colleague and competitor John Laws, the huge and ongoing popularity of Jones' program (a mixture of talkback, interviews, opinion and commercial endorsements) has meant that, as well as becoming one of Australia's highest-paid media personalities, Jones now exerts a strong influence on political discourse in Australia. Unlike Laws, Jones is highly politically motivated and openly uses his program and his popularity to advance the causes of his conservative politics, the Liberal Party and the Howard government. John Laws (born August 8, 1935) is a prominent and controversial radio presenter in Australia, whose mellifluent voice earned him the nickname Golden Tonsils. Since the 1970s Laws has hosted a hugely successful morning radio program, which mixes music with interviews, opinion, live advertising readings and listener talkback. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ...

Because of his right-wing leanings, his numerous controversial actions and his often inflammatory and reactionary utterances, Jones' reputation among those on the left wing of Australian politics is more or less the reverse of progressive commentator Phillip Adams, who has long been pilloried by conservatives as being the prime example of a supposedly endemic left-wing bias in the ABC. In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Phillip Adams AO (born 1939) is an Australian broadcaster on the Radio National network of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), filmmaker, author, archaeologist, controversialist, social commentator and satirist. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australias national public broadcaster. ...

Early career: teaching and politics

After leaving school, he trained as a teacher at the Kelvin Grove Teachers College (now part of the Queensland University of Technology) in Brisbane. After this training, in 1961 he taught first at a state primary school, then in 1963 won a position at the Brisbane Grammar School for boys. He was studying part-time at the University of Queensland for a Bachelor of Arts degree, which he was awarded in 1967. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) QUT Gardens Point Campus Graduation at QUT Gardens Point Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is one of Australias largest universities, located in Brisbane. ... Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the state of Queensland, Australia. ... The Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) is a is a non-denominational, independent boys school located in the suburb of Spring Hill in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ... The University of Queensland (UQ) has its main campus in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, specifically in the suburb of St Lucia. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ...

In 1970, Jones was appointed Senior English Master at The King's School at Parramatta in Sydney, where he coached the rugby side to victory in 1974. The Kings School is a independent boys school in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Parramatta is a city, suburb and Local Government Area in Sydney, Australia, 25 kilometres west of the central business district (CBD) in Western Sydney. ... Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and with a population of over four million people is the most populous city in Australia. ... Image from a test-match between Ireland and the New Zealand All Blacks. ...

A parent at Kings who owned the New South Wales based airline, Skyways, offered Jones the opportunity to branch into management, and he left Kings in 1975. Later that year, another parent at Kings, Doug Anthony, leader of the Country Party (now the National Party of Australia) in the Australian Parliament, offered Jones a position with the party in Canberra, the Federal capital city. The next year, he sought party preselection as the candidate for the parliamentary seat of Eden-Monaro based on the hinterland adjoining Canberra, but he was unsuccessful at the election. Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... A Boeing 747-400 belonging to Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ... Doug Anthony The Rt Hon John Douglas Anthony AC, CH (born 31 December 1929), Australian politician, was born in Murwillumbah in northern New South Wales. ... The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... Parliament House, Canberra The Parliament of Australia is a bicameral parliament consisting of the Queen of Australia, the House of Representatives (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house or house of review). Section 1 of the Constitution of Australia provides that: The legislative power of the Commonwealth shall...     Canberra is the capital city of Australia and with a population of just over 323,000 is Australias largest inland city. ... The Division of Eden-Monaro is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. ...

Jones studied further in 1977 at Oxford University, completing his education with majors in English and French Language and Literature, Politics and Education. He excelled in tennis and also won a University Blue here. The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Sporting Colours, more often known merely as colours, house-colours &c. ...

Returning to Australia, he was the candidate for the 1978 by-election for the NSW state seat of Earlwood for the Liberal Party of Australia, formerly held by deposed Liberal leader Sir Eric Willis. The formerly safe seat was lost, and Jones' antics at a Greek cultural event were called into question. Jones then worked for several years as a speech writer for NSW Opposition leader John Mason, meanwhile standing for preselection for the Federal seat of North Sydney. A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ... An Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. ...

In 1979, Jones again moved to Canberra where he was a speech writer for the Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser, until early 1981. He then moved back to Sydney to be Executive Director of the Employers’ Federation of NSW, which he held until 1985. The office of Prime Minister is in practice the most powerful political office in the Commonwealth of Australia. ... John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH (born 21 May 1930), Australian politician and 22nd Prime Minister of Australia, came to power in the circumstances of the dismissal of the Whitlam government. ...

Rugby (Union and League)

1982 was the beginning of Jones' association with semi-professional Rugby, firstly appointed as (part-time) manager of the NSW Rugby Union team. The next year he served as First Grade coach for the Manly Rugby Union team, which won the Premiership for the first time in 32 years.

In February 1984, Alan Jones replaced Bob Dwyer as coach of the Australian Rugby Union national team, and he was to coach the Australian team for 4 years victories in 102 matches including 23 victories in 30 Tests and four of those losses were by only a point. He is one of the most successful Australian coaches ever. The side included Mark Ella until his retirement, but quickly added Nick Farr-Jones and two Manly players Peter FitzSimons and James Black. Also in 1984, Australia's national team, the Wallabies, won the Grand Slam: victories over England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and a side made up of the best players of those countries and France. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. ... The Wallabies are the Australian rugby union national team. ... Mark Ella In Action Mark Ella was born on Friday, June 5th, 1959. ... Nick Farr-Jones is a former rugby union player from Australia. ... Peter Fitzsimons is a former Australian Rugby Union International or Wallaby and a current sports columnist and writer for The Sydney Morning Herald. ... For other individuals with the name James Black, see James Black (disambiguation). ... For the Australian national Rugby Union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, see Australia national rugby union team. ...

The 1985 Bledisloe Cup victory in New Zealand was the first time that had been achieved in 39 years. Jones was awarded the Rostrum Speakers' Award as the Communicator of the Year, and named the 1985 Confederation of Australian Sport as Australia's Coach of the Year. However, Jones also pulled out of the Liberal preselection for the Federal Division of Wentworth in Sydney. Rugby Unions Bledisloe Cup is contested between Australias Wallabies and New Zealands All Blacks. ... The Federal Division of Wentworth is a foundation division of the Australian Parliament, created at the Federation of the Australian Colonies as the Commonwealth of Australia. ...

In 1988, Jones was made a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for services to Rugby Union Football. 1989 saw Jones elected to the Confederation of Australian Sports' Hall of Fame in recognition of his contribution to Australian Sport as the Australian Rugby coach. Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, wearing on her left shoulder the Order of Australias Sovereign Badge. ... Various fields of endeavour have established Halls of Fame that honour individuals of noteworthy achievement in their respective fields. ...

In 1990, he was appointed coach of the Balmain Tigers Rugby League team, without accepting a fee. He resigned in July 1993 with these results: 1991 - 8 wins, 12th place; 1992 - 10 wins, 10th place; 1993 - 5 wins, 12th place. The next month he was appointed Director of Football for the South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League team, also without a fee. The Balmain Tigers is one of the founding clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). ... Rugby league is a team sport, played by two teams of 13 players. ... The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a team in the National Rugby League (NRL), the premier rugby league competition in Australia. ... Rugby league is a team sport, played by two teams of 13 players. ...

Radio and the media

1985 saw Jones join Sydney radio station 2UE as the morning show host after John Laws left for 2GB. He moved to the 5.30am to 9.00am Breakfast slot in February 1988, and achieved the largest breakfast audience and also the largest radio audience in Australia. 2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia. ... John Laws (born August 8, 1935) is a prominent and controversial radio presenter in Australia, whose mellifluent voice earned him the nickname Golden Tonsils. Since the 1970s Laws has hosted a hugely successful morning radio program, which mixes music with interviews, opinion, live advertising readings and listener talkback. ... 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. Some of the personalites on 2GB are: Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Brian Wilshire. ...

In 1990-1993 and 1995-1997 Jones was awarded, by the radio industry, the title Australian Radio Talk Personality of the Year.

In 2002, Jones joined 2GB as breakfast announcer, reportedly also taking a financial interest in the station. Jones appears daily making editorial comment on the Nine Network's Today. The Nine Network is an Australian television network, available in major markets across Australia. ... Today is an Australian morning television programme broadcast weekdays from 6am on the Nine Network. ...

In 2004, Jones received a Queen's Birthday Honour - an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) partly for his service to the media and sports' administration, but also helping many charities, including Youth off the Streets, the Children's Hospital, Starlight Foundation, the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation and the Heart Research Institute. Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, wearing on her left shoulder the Order of Australias Sovereign Badge. ... Brass relief of Dunlop in uniform Sir Edward Weary Dunlop (July 12, 1907 - July 2, 1993) was born in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia. ...

Controversies

In December 1988, Jones was arrested in a lavatory block in London West End. He was initially charged with two counts of outraging public decency by behaving in an indecent manner under the Westminster by-laws. Jones pleaded not guilty and was granted unconditional bail. The charges were eventually dropped and costs were awarded to Jones. Flush toilet A toilet is a plumbing fixture devised for the disposal of bodily wastes, including urine, feces, methane, semen and vomit. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... West End is the name of some places in the world, including: The West End of London, England West End Theatre, is where many of Londons major theatres are located and premier cinema screenings take place. ... Charge is a word with many different meanings. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ... Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court in order to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail (skipping bail, or jumping bail, is also illegal). ...

For a time until 1990, Jones had been writing for The Sun-Herald but it announced that Jones’ column would no longer appear following a petition by staff calling for his removal as a contributor. The Sydney Morning Herald is one of the most prestigious and important newspapers in Australia, published daily in Sydney, the largest city in Australia. ...

In the late 1990s, Jones suffered more public humiliation when unedited studio recordings of pre-recorded material he had taped at 2UE were leaked to the ABC radio station Triple J. Although the tapes were admittedly highly selective and were no doubt chosen to show Jones in the worst possible light, these recordings -- similar to the infamous leaked tapes of U.S. radio personality Casey Kasem -- have since become something of a cult item with Jones' critics, especially since they present Jones as egotistical, ill-tempered and fond of using bad language. Triple J (JJJ) is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), mainly aimed at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25). ... Casey Kasem (born Kemal Amin Kasem on April 27, 1932, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American radio personality and voice actor of Druze Lebanese extraction. ...

Later that year, Jones in his role with 2UE was ordered by a court to pay more than $55,000 damages for defaming David Parker, a former councillor of the NRMA, the NSW Motorists’ organisation; 2UE was also ordered to pay $80,000. Parker claimed he was defamed during the NRMA election campaign in October 1986. July 1991 had Jones commenting during a conspiracy to murder trial, of Tom Domican and two others; about the key crown witness, a self-confessed heroin smuggler, Jones said, “Why is he the witness and not the defendant?” Contempt is not proved; what Jones did is said to be "dangerous". In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... NRMA badge from front of Rolls Royce Phantom NRMA refers to either of two historically related Australian companies: The National Roads and Motorists Association (aka NRMA Motoring & Services) is a member-owned mutual organisation offering roadside assistance, travel, vehicle inspection and other services in NSW. NRMA Insurance is a brand... Contempt is an intense feeling of disrespect and dislike. ...

1992 brought several events:

• Jones is rebuked by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption for making attacks on Dr Terry Metherell during evidence in an inquiry relating to Metherell’s appointment to a government job.
• Media Watch shows how on-air comments made by Jones about the Rio summit and the Green movement align with those made by B.A. Santamaria in The Australian. Santamaria later says Jones had contacted his office for permission to quote from the article.
• Jones and 2UE are found guilty of contempt of court after the criminal trial of ex-policeman John Killen was aborted following an interview with a former Drug Enforcement Squad officer.

1993 was another year of controversy: Independent Commission Against Corruption or ICAC for short was set up by New South Wales Premier Nick Greiner upon him coming to office in 1988. ... Media Watch is an Australian television series screening on the ABC. It currently screens from 9. ... The Green movement encompasses the Green parties of various countries, and relies on the ideals of the larger ecology movement, peace movement, conservation movement, environmental movement and general trend towards environmentalism. ... Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria (14 August 1915 - 25 February 1998), (known in public as B.A. Santamaria and in private as Bob), Australian political activist and journalist, was one of the most influential political figures in recent Australian history, but never held public office or joined a political party. ... The Australian (informally referred to as The Oz) is a national daily broadsheet newspaper published by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ...

• In January, Jones described the choice of Mandawuy Yunupingu (an Australian Aborigine) as Australian of the Year as an "insult" and said he’d been granted the award simply because he was black.
• In February, Jones is awarded a 1992 Advance Australia Award for his services to the community.
• In March, Jones and 2UE were prosecuted by the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions for contempt of court and fined $77,000, of which Jones’ share was $2,000, after Jones caused the trial of a policeman to be aborted: The policeman was facing a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice on the same day as Jones conducted an interview with the Police Association and dealt with allegations that police had suffered at the hands of false accusations.
• In June, leading Australian Aborigine Charles Perkins and Jones clash in a live TV and radio debate. Jones says Australians are "getting no say when you (aboriginal people) say this is your nation; it's not, it's Australia’s nation"... "They (average Australians) are being asked to pay taxes to fund people who are seeking title to productive land to which they’ve made no contribution to its productivity". Perkins called Jones racist and a redneck and comments "You’ve sat on your white bum at 2UE in Sydney all your life so you wouldn’t know what goes on out there".

1994 also had its moments: Mandawuy Yunupingu (b. ... Australian Aborigines are the main indigenous people of Australia. ... The Australian of the Year Awards commenced in 1960. ... Contempt of court is a court ruling which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, deems an individual as holding contempt for the court, its process, and its invested powers. ... Australian Aborigines are the main indigenous people of Australia. ... Charles Nelson Perkins (born June 16, 1936 in Alice Springs, died October 19, 2000) was an Australian Aboriginal activist. ...

• In April, after only 13 weeks and 64 episodes, the Network Ten program Alan Jones Live was pulled due to low audiences and criticism. It was intended to be similar in purpose and content to Larry King Live.
• In July, Media Watch highlights Jones’ on-air promotion of Optus.
• In November:
  • The managing director of a Manly hotel sued Jones and 2UE claiming a broadcast falsely suggested he was a heroin trafficker, allowed the hotel to be used for heroin trafficking, and that he was party to conspiracies to frame someone for murder.
  • Separately, Don Mackay, president of the NRMA sued Jones and 2UE alleging Jones made a number of false imputations against him.
  • Further, Jones had a public spat with his fellow 2UE broadcaster John Laws. In an interview with Laws, then Prime Minister Paul Keating said of Jones "You know, he’s got a good-rating program, even though it’s basically, you know, most of the stuff is middle-of-the-road fascism". Keating had refused Jones' requests to appear on his program all year.

Between 2002 and early 2004, the "Cash for comment" investigation was conducted. Jones had been accused of contracting to have personal commercial support in exchange for favourable "unscripted" comments, principally for Telstra and QANTAS, during his radio show. The independent Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV show, Media Watch, was heavily involved in exposing these practices. The Australian Broadcasting Authority finally decided that disclosure had to be made, hence the "Commercial Agreement Register" at the Jones portion of his station's web site. (Jones was investigated along with John Laws from 2UE.) Network Ten is one of Australias three commercial television networks. ... Interviewing a guest on Larry King Live Larry King Live is a nightly CNN interview program hosted by broadcaster and writer Larry King. ... Media Watch is an Australian television series screening on the ABC. It currently screens from 9. ... Singtel Optus is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly-owned subsidary of Singapore Telecommunications (ASX: SGT), the second largest telecommunications company outside China in terms of number of subscribers. ... Look up Manly in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Manly may refer to: Manly, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia Manly, Queensland is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia Manly, Iowa is a city in the United States of America Manly is also an adjective referring to masculinity. ... Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944), Australian politician and 24th Prime Minister of Australia, came to prominence first as the reforming Treasurer in the Hawke government, then as the Prime Minister who pulled off an upset victory in the unwinnable election of 1993. ... The cash for comment affair was an Australian scandal that broke in 1999, concerning paid advertising in radio that is presented to the audience in such a way as to sound like editorial commentary. ... Telstra Corporation ASX: TLS is an Australian telecommunications company under joint public/private ownership, holding a superdominant position in landline telephone services, large share of mobile phone services, domestic consumer (including dial-up access and broadband cable modem, satellite and ADSL services under the BigPond and Hypermax brands) and business... Qantas (IATA: QF, ICAO: QFA, and Callsign: Qantas) is the name and callsign of the oldest and largest airline of Australia. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australias national public broadcaster. ... Media Watch is an Australian television series screening on the ABC. It currently screens from 9. ... The Australian Broadcasting Authority (commonly called the ABA in Australia) is an agency of the Australian federal government, responsible for regulating the television, radio, and Internet industries. ...

Also in April 2004, a stream of flattering letters to Jones from Professor David Flint, Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Authority, came to light. This called into question the impartiality of Flint, and the then Federal Minister for Communications, Daryl Williams, was embroiled in media speculation as to the future of Flint. With an inquiry imminent, Flint resigned. In an appearance on the ABC's Enough Rope, John Laws accused Jones of placing pressure on Prime Minister John Howard to keep Flint as head of the ABA, made comments that many viewers took to imply a sexual relationship between Jones and Flint (see transcript), and broadly hinted that Jones and Flint were homosexual. Professor David Flint AM is a prominent Australian legal academic, best known for his controversial tenure as head of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and as one of Australias most prominent and enthusiastic monarchists, in opposition to Australian republicanism. ... Hon Daryl Williams Daryl Robert Williams, AM, QC (born 10 April 1955),Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1993 to October 2004, representing the Division of Tangney, Western Australia. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australias national public broadcaster. ... Enough Rope With Andrew Denton (or simply Enough Rope) is a talk show on the ABC network in Australia. ... John Laws (born August 8, 1935) is a prominent and controversial radio presenter in Australia, whose mellifluent voice earned him the nickname Golden Tonsils. Since the 1970s Laws has hosted a hugely successful morning radio program, which mixes music with interviews, opinion, live advertising readings and listener talkback. ... John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the countrys 25th Prime Minister. ...

In December 2005, in the lead-up to the Cronulla riots, Jones used his breakfast radio programme to read out a widely-circulated text message calling on people to "Come to Cronulla this weekend to take revenge... get down to North Cronulla to support the Leb and wog bashing day". While telling listeners not to take the law into their own hands, he also gave lengthy and sympathetic coverage to callers urging violence and vigilante action and called for a "community show of force". Melbourne's Fairfax broadsheet newspaper The Age subsequently denounced Jones' remarks on his breakfast radio programme as inflammatory, possibly seditious, and largely responsible for those riots. [1]. The 2005 Sydney race riots began with an incident of mob confrontation which took place near the beachfront at Cronulla, a southern coastal suburb of Sydney, Australias largest city. ... A received SMS being announced on a Nokia phone. ... John Fairfax Holdings Limited {ABN 15 008 663 161) is an Australian Public Company operating in the media industry, working predominantly with newspapers. ... The Age is a broadsheet daily newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. ...

External links

• Radio station 2GB - see link and then biography
• The Closet Recordings of Alan Jones - leaked to Triple J by an anonymous source