Barrie Cassidy

I dismissed that out of hand as totally unnecessary.

On the day of the announcement, the Albury bought a mail, the nursery for journalists such as Barry Cassidy and Jeff Walsh contacted my mother saying, and asked whether she knew that her son was a spy.

To which she replied, as happily reported the next day in the border mail, and I quote, no, we were never told he was a spy, but suspected something like that because he was always traveling overseas.

The lesson, take notice of your spouse and always tell your mum.

It was in 1987.

I mean, you have some great highlights, and Craig Emerson and Barry Cassidy have told this story, but, you know, I had a pattern as well.

In 1987, during the campaign...

I mean, Hawke, maybe like all politicians, great at talking about the record and a very strong record to talk about.

She just wants the story told in exactly her own terms.

So press secretaries have a very valuable function and good ones, and one of the very best was Barry Cassidy, who used to work for the ABC, went to work for Bob Hawke.

He'd been... a senior journalist, he understood the role of the media, he understood the needs of the media, he was able to not just advise the minister on what to say, but also how to say it.

So these are very valuable skills.