Bob Ellis
Encyclopedia
Bob Ellis is an Australian writer, journalist, film-maker and political commentator. He was a student at the University of Sydney
at the same time as other notable Australians including Clive James
, Germaine Greer
, Les Murray
, John Bell
, Ken Horler, and Mungo McCallum
. He lives in Sydney with the author and screenwriter Anne Brooksbank; they have three children.
in the 1970s and subsequently contributed to Fairfax Media
newspapers and National Times
(with co-author Michael Boddy), The James Dossier (a 1975 musical play based on the life of Francis James
), Down Under (with co-author Anne Brooksbank) and A Local Man, a 2006 play about Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley
(with co-author Robin McLachlan).
The True Believers (with co-author Stephen Ramsey(producer)|Matt Carroll]]) and Infamous Victory: Ben Chifley's Battle for Coal (2008), with co-author Geoff Burton, made for Film Australia
.
(1992), Cactus (1986) (with Paul Cox
), My First Wife
(1984) (with Paul Cox), Where the Green Ants Dream
(Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen) (1984) film (with German film director Werner Herzog
, Man of Flowers
(1983) (with Paul Cox), Goodbye Paradise
(1983), ... Maybe This Time (with Anne Brooksbank) (1981), Fatty Finn (1980), and Newsfront
(1978).
(1992), Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train
(1988), Unfinished Business (1985) and Run Rabbit, Run (2007).
for Newsfront
(1978) (with Anne Brooksbank and Phillip Noyce
) and for My First Wife
(1984) (with Paul Cox).
, has written speeches for a number of Labor leaders (such as Bob Carr, Paul Keating
and Kim Beazley), and written extensively on Labor history.
In regards to Ellis' speech writing, Beazley had said on the 7.30 Report that if he had used any of Ellis' speeches he would have been out of politics.
Ellis' involvement in politics became more direct when he unsuccessfully contested the Federal seat of Mackellar
as an independent candidate against the Liberal Party's Bronwyn Bishop
in a by-election in 1994
as the ALP did not field a candidate at that by-election.
His 2011 book Suddenly, Last Winter - An Election Diary created headlines for its criticism of Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard
, and praise for Liberal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott
. He described Gillard as "not well informed" and "sudden, firm and wrong" in everything she does. He also said "She has no power, no influence, no friends, no learning. There's not much there", whilst describing Abbott as having "good manners", being "formidable" and possessing a "first-class mind".
and Peter Costello
, and their wives. The publisher, Random House
, accepted that the disputed content was a falsehood and the book was removed from sale. ACT Supreme Court Justice Higgins awarded the two politicians and their wives a total of $277,000 damages. A new edition of the book was published three months later, which omitted the defamatory passage.
In 1998 Penguin Books
Australia published Ellis's First Abolish the Customer – 202 Arguments Against Economic Rationalism. Penguin published Ellis's The Capitalism Delusion – How Global Economics Wrecked Everything and What To Do About It in 2009 and "One Hundred Days of Summer" in 2010..
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
at the same time as other notable Australians including Clive James
Clive James
Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
, Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer is an Australian writer, academic, journalist and scholar of early modern English literature, widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the later 20th century....
, Les Murray
Les Murray (poet)
Leslie Allan Murray, AO , known as Les Murray, is an Australian poet, anthologist and critic. His career spans over forty years, and he has published nearly 30 volumes of poetry, as well as two verse novels and collections of his prose writings...
, John Bell
John Bell (actor)
John Anthony Bell, AO, OBE is an Australian actor and theatre director.Bell was born 1 November 1940 in the town of Maitland, New South Wales where he was educated at the Marist Brothers....
, Ken Horler, and Mungo McCallum
Mungo Wentworth MacCallum
Mungo Wentworth MacCallum is an Australian political journalist and commentator.He is the son of Mungo Ballardie MacCallum , and Diana Wentworth a great granddaughter of the Australian explorer and politician William Charles Wentworth...
. He lives in Sydney with the author and screenwriter Anne Brooksbank; they have three children.
Newspapers
Ellis was a regular contributor to the Nation ReviewNation Review
Nation Reviewwas an Australian Sunday newspaper, which ceased publication in 1981. It was launched in 1970 after independent publisher Gordon Barton bought out Tom Fitzgerald's Nation publication and merged it with his own Sunday Review journal...
in the 1970s and subsequently contributed to Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
newspapers and National Times
Theatre
His writing for the stage includes The Legend of King O'Malley (a 1970 musical play based on the life of King O'MalleyKing O'Malley
King O'Malley was an Australian politician. He was a member in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1896 to 1899, and the Australian House of Representatives from 1901 to 1917. O'Malley was also Minister for Home Affairs in the second and third Fisher Labor ministry...
(with co-author Michael Boddy), The James Dossier (a 1975 musical play based on the life of Francis James
Francis James
Alfred Francis James was an eccentric Australian publisher known for being imprisoned in China as a spy.-Early life:...
), Down Under (with co-author Anne Brooksbank) and A Local Man, a 2006 play about Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley
Ben Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
(with co-author Robin McLachlan).
Television
His writing for television includes a miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
The True Believers (with co-author Stephen Ramsey(producer)|Matt Carroll]]) and Infamous Victory: Ben Chifley's Battle for Coal (2008), with co-author Geoff Burton, made for Film Australia
Film Australia
Film Australia was a company established by the Government of Australia to produce films about Australia. Its mission was to create an audio-visual record of Australian culture, through the commissioning, distribution and management of programs that deal with matters of national interest or...
.
Screenwriting
Ellis has written several films, notably The Nostradamus KidThe Nostradamus Kid
The Nostradamus Kid is a 1992 Australian feature film written and directed by Bob Ellis.The film is a romantic comedy about the religious and sexual coming of age of a 1960s Seventh-day Adventist boy. Ken Elkin is a "randy young man" who is told that the world is about to end...
(1992), Cactus (1986) (with Paul Cox
Paul Cox
Paulus Henriqus Benedictus "Paul" Cox is an award-winning Australian film director.Cox was born in Venlo, Limburg, the Netherlands, the son of Else , a native of Germany, and Wim Cox, a documentary film producer. Cox emigrated to Australia in 1965...
), My First Wife
My First Wife
My First Wife is a 1984 Australian drama film directed by Paul Cox. The film won several AFI Awards in 1984. The film follows the dissolution of John and Helen's marriage and the aftermath.-Awards:...
(1984) (with Paul Cox), Where the Green Ants Dream
Where the Green Ants Dream
Where the Green Ants Dream is a 1984 film by German film director Werner Herzog. It was Herzog's first film in English although also dubbed into German. Based partly on the Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd case and making use of professional actors as well as Aboriginal activists who were involved in...
(Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen) (1984) film (with German film director Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
, Man of Flowers
Man of Flowers
Man of Flowers is a 1983 Australian film about an eccentric, reclusive, middle-aged man, Charles Bremer, who enjoys the beauty of art, flowers, and watching pretty women undress. Werner Herzog has a cameo role as Bremer's father...
(1983) (with Paul Cox), Goodbye Paradise
Goodbye Paradise
Goodbye Paradise is a 1983 Australian film directed by Carl Schultz. On Queensland's Gold Coast in the early 1980s, a disgraced former cop, Michael Stacey writes a book exposing police corruption, does an investigation resulting in 2 murders, exposes a religious cult and watches the army begin a...
(1983), ... Maybe This Time (with Anne Brooksbank) (1981), Fatty Finn (1980), and Newsfront
Newsfront
Newsfront is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original music score is composed by William Motzing...
(1978).
Directing
He has also directed several films including The Nostradamus KidThe Nostradamus Kid
The Nostradamus Kid is a 1992 Australian feature film written and directed by Bob Ellis.The film is a romantic comedy about the religious and sexual coming of age of a 1960s Seventh-day Adventist boy. Ken Elkin is a "randy young man" who is told that the world is about to end...
(1992), Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train
Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train
Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train is a 1988 Australian film directed by Bob Ellis. Nominated at the AFI Awards in the Best Achievement in Cinematography category....
(1988), Unfinished Business (1985) and Run Rabbit, Run (2007).
Awards
He won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best ScreenplayAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1976 as a joint category until 1993 when the award was separated into Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay...
for Newsfront
Newsfront
Newsfront is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original music score is composed by William Motzing...
(1978) (with Anne Brooksbank and Phillip Noyce
Phillip Noyce
Phillip Noyce is an Australian film director.-Life and career:Noyce was born in Griffith, New South Wales, attended Barker College, Sydney, and began making short films at the age of 18, starting with Better to Reign in Hell, using his friends as the cast...
) and for My First Wife
My First Wife
My First Wife is a 1984 Australian drama film directed by Paul Cox. The film won several AFI Awards in 1984. The film follows the dissolution of John and Helen's marriage and the aftermath.-Awards:...
(1984) (with Paul Cox).
Politics
Ellis, a supporter of the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, has written speeches for a number of Labor leaders (such as Bob Carr, Paul Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
and Kim Beazley), and written extensively on Labor history.
In regards to Ellis' speech writing, Beazley had said on the 7.30 Report that if he had used any of Ellis' speeches he would have been out of politics.
Ellis' involvement in politics became more direct when he unsuccessfully contested the Federal seat of Mackellar
Division of Mackellar
The Division of Mackellar is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, on the Pacific coast, south of Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River. It includes the suburbs of Narrabeen, Beacon Hill, Newport, Palm Beach and...
as an independent candidate against the Liberal Party's Bronwyn Bishop
Bronwyn Bishop
Bronwyn Kathleen Bishop , an Australian politician, is a Member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Liberal Party representing the Division of Mackellar, New South Wales since 1994...
in a by-election in 1994
Mackellar by-election, 1994
The 1994 Mackellar by-election was held in the Australian electorate of Mackellar in New South Wales on 26 March 1994. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the sitting member, the Liberal Party of Australia's Jim Carlton on 14 January 1994. The writ for the by-election was issued on...
as the ALP did not field a candidate at that by-election.
His 2011 book Suddenly, Last Winter - An Election Diary created headlines for its criticism of Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
, and praise for Liberal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott
Anthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
. He described Gillard as "not well informed" and "sudden, firm and wrong" in everything she does. He also said "She has no power, no influence, no friends, no learning. There's not much there", whilst describing Abbott as having "good manners", being "formidable" and possessing a "first-class mind".
Books
Ellis has written two books Goodbye Jerusalem and Goodbye Babylon, on his experiences of the Labor party. The first edition of Goodbye Jerusalem was pulped following a successful defamation case brought by two Liberal cabinet ministers, Tony AbbottTony Abbott
Anthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
and Peter Costello
Peter Costello
Peter Howard Costello AC is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing...
, and their wives. The publisher, Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, accepted that the disputed content was a falsehood and the book was removed from sale. ACT Supreme Court Justice Higgins awarded the two politicians and their wives a total of $277,000 damages. A new edition of the book was published three months later, which omitted the defamatory passage.
In 1998 Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
Australia published Ellis's First Abolish the Customer – 202 Arguments Against Economic Rationalism. Penguin published Ellis's The Capitalism Delusion – How Global Economics Wrecked Everything and What To Do About It in 2009 and "One Hundred Days of Summer" in 2010..
External links
- Interview with Bob Ellis
- Personal site
- Bob Ellis Australian theatre credits at AusstageAusstageAusStage is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia. It provides records of productions from the beginnings of theatre in Australia up to today...