GUEST SPEAKER: Political journalist Laurie Oakes has been snared for a fundraising dinner for the Red Cross.
Laurie Oakes, journalist, author and notorious leaker of parliamentary secrets, is coming to Yass for one night only.
The Yass Red Cross have secured his services as guest speaker at a fundraising dinner in November.
Mr Oakes told Nancye Lee from the Red Cross branch that he doesn’t normally do this sort of thing but her persistence paid off.
“Yes, Laurie said he normally says no,” Mrs Lee said, “But because I just kept asking he relented.”
Laurie Oakes has worked in television and the print media in various roles throughout his prodigious career, including writing about politics for The Age in Melbourne and the Sunday Telegraph in Sydney, and reporting for the Nine Network.
Over the years he has developed excellent sources and been able to deliver some game-changing scoops.
In 1980, he obtained a draft copy of the Australian federal budget, before it was tabled in Parliament.
In 1997, Mr Oakes used leaked documents to report on abuse of parliamentary travel expenses, which ended a number of high profile political careers.
More recently he used leaked documents showing the Rudd government ignored warnings from four key departments about its Fuelwatch scheme.
The dinner is on Saturday November 24 at the Yass Soldiers Club at 7pm.
Tickets are $50 each, with limited numbers available. Tables of 10 also available. Tickets from The Sheep’s Back Boutique, or if you would like more information call Nancye on 6227 1255.