Speaking with the Victorian Branch of Australian Fabians, P&I publisher, founder and editor-in-chief, John Menadue, reflects on the his life and work, the state of national leadership and public institutions including a debased mainstream media.
Chair of the Victorian Fabians, Jeff Jeff McCracken-Hewson, moderated the event.
John Menadue – on Media and the Public Narrative
Republished from Australian Fabians, YouTube, 18 July 2025
John Menadue is the Founder of Pearls and Irritations and a board member. He was formerly the Editor-in-Chief. John was the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.
Jeff McCracken-Hewson
Vic Board Representative
Jeff McCracken-Hewson has almost five decades of activism in the trade union movements and Labor/Labour parties of Australia and Britain. He joined the Victorian Branch of Fabians in 2018, becoming its Events Manager and, in 2020, its Chair and National Board representative. jeff.mccracken-hewson@fabian.org.au