Misplaced Pages

#737262

109-513: Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer AC (17 December 1937 – 26 December 2005) was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controlling interest in both the Nine Network and the publishing company Australian Consolidated Press , which were later merged to form Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL). Outside Australia, Packer

218-481: A 40% stake in the company. The One.Tel share price hits a high of $ 13.55 in the days leading up to the announcement of the deal, prompting an insider-trading probe by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission . The News/PBL deal allowed the original shareholders to take more money from the company. Rich and Keeling received $ 62 million between them and James Packer received $ 20.5 million. In

327-522: A blow following the 2001 collapse of One.Tel , a telephone company in which his son, James , had invested. Kerry Packer was also one of Australia's largest landholders. In 2003, a deposit of rubies was discovered on one of his properties. The Packer media empire included magazines, television networks, telecommunications, petrochemicals, heavy engineering, a 75% stake in the Perisher Blue ski resort, diamond exploration, coal mines and property,

436-478: A bronze statue of a horse's head by sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green , popularly known as Artemis but believed reverted to the name Fiddian-Green originally gave it: I Look Beyond for a Distant Land . The Packer family accepted an offer of a state memorial service , which was held on 17 February 2006 at the Sydney Opera House . The granting of this taxpayer-funded honour was criticised by some members of

545-561: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of

654-499: A chronic kidney condition for many years, and in 2000, he made headlines when his long-serving helicopter pilot, Nick Ross, donated one of his own kidneys to Packer for transplantation . The story of the transplant was covered in detail by the Australian TV documentary program Australian Story , a rare occasion on which Packer granted a media interview (and, to the surprise of many, not to his own network; Australian Story

763-577: A coin and asked nonchalantly, "heads or tails?", referring to an A$ 120 million wager (according to Bob Stupak 's biography). Some variations of the story put the sum at A$ 60 million to A$ 100 million and say the line was "I'll toss you for it". In the late 1990s, he walked into a major London casino and played £15 million on four roulette tables on his own and lost it all. This has been confirmed by casino owners in South East England. Former PGA professional John Daly said on

872-679: A company formed by lawyer Geoff Levy and former Wallaby player Ross Turnbull . Both wanted a professional worldwide rugby union competition in 1995. A majority of the All Blacks and Wallaby teams signed up to the WRC. In response, the Australian, New Zealand and South African rugby unions formed SANZAR , who partnered with News Limited to launch two professional competitions, the Super 12 and Tri Nations Series . The South African Rugby Union told

981-678: A complete pig, you know. He could charm the birds out of the trees, but he could be a brute. Packer was a supporter of South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League competition. He was an advocate of the Australian Republic Movement . Packer was a keen polo player. In 1992, he and Gonzalo Pieres Sr. founded Ellerstina, a polo team that has claimed multiple titles at the Argentine Open and other high-handicap tournaments. Packer bought

1090-594: A confrontation with the cricket authorities, as top players from several countries rushed to join him at the expense of their international sides. One of the leaders of the "rebellion" was England captain Tony Greig , who remained a commentator on the Nine Network's payroll until his death in December 2012. Packer's aim was to secure broadcasting rights for Australian cricket, and he was largely successful. In

1199-406: A daughter, Gretel , and a son, James. At the time of Packer's death, he and Ros had two grandchildren: Francesca then 10, and Ben, then 7, from Gretel's first marriage to British financier Nick Barham, and Gretel and her husband Shane Murray were expecting their first child together, William (born 2006). Gretel and Shane married just before Packer's death. Packer conducted extra-marital affairs with

SECTION 10

#1732775944738

1308-412: A four-year trial lasting 232 hearing days Justice Austin found that ASIC had failed to prove its case against the defendant directors. The evidence presented by ASIC did not establish on the balance of probabilities that the defendants had failed to disclose or withhold financial information from One.Tel's board regarding the company's true financial position. In the decision Justice Austin was critical of

1417-553: A free 37% equity stake that put a debt-included value of A$ 500 million on the Nine Network, which by then included Channel Nine in Brisbane. Packer sometimes took a direct interest in the editorial content of his papers, although he was far less interventionist than the notoriously hands-on Rupert Murdoch . Packer also occasionally interfered directly in the programming of his TV stations; in 1992, he called his Sydney station, TCN-9 , and ordered its personnel to "Get that shit off

1526-418: A further $ 280 million in funding. Australian investors provided $ 340 million in funding. In the financial year ended 30 June 2000 One.Tel reported a loss of $ 291 million. The share price plummeted to below $ 1. The annual report included details of the remuneration of Rich and Keeling; both received a $ 560,000 basic salary and a $ 6.9 million bonus. In a statement that would later prove ironic, James Packer told

1635-440: A heart attack that left him clinically dead for seven minutes. Packer was revived by paramedics and then airlifted to St Vincent's Private Hospital, Sydney, and received bypass surgery from Dr Victor Chang , a pioneering cardiac surgeon. It was not common for an ambulance to have a defibrillator at the time – it was purely by chance that the ambulance which responded to the call had one fitted. After recovering, Packer donated

1744-677: A large sum to the Ambulance Service of New South Wales to pay for equipping all NSW ambulances with a portable defibrillator (colloquially known as " Packer Whackers "). He told Nick Greiner "I'll go you 50/50", and the NSW State government paid the other half of the cost. He is reported to have said, "Son, I've been to the other side, and let me tell you, there's nothing there." And in a press conference, "...there's no one waiting there for you, there's no one to judge you, so you can do what you bloody well like ". He also suffered from

1853-589: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however

1962-613: A minute's silence at the MCG as one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport. Packer was famously quoted from a 1976 meeting with the Australian Cricket Board , with whom he met to negotiate the rights to televise cricket. According to witnesses, he said: "There is a little bit of the whore in all of us, gentlemen. What is your price?" Packer funded the World Rugby Corporation (WRC),

2071-634: A number of women including the model Carol Lopes, who reportedly committed suicide after being shunned by Packer; publisher and former ConPress employee Ita Buttrose and Julie Trethowan, his long-time mistress and manager (from 1983) of the Packer-owned Sydney city health and fitness club, the Hyde Park Club. After his death, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that from about 1995, Packer transferred control of multimillion-dollar Sydney real estate holdings to Trethowan. In June 2009,

2180-585: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to

2289-554: A share in the Foxtel cable TV network, and investments in the lucrative casino business in Australia and overseas. The Packer family has long been involved in media. Packer's grandfather Robert Clyde Packer owned two Sydney newspapers while his father, Sir Frank Packer, was one of Australia's first media moguls, and Kerry's son, James, was executive chairman of PBL, before resigning in 2008. Sir Frank wanted Kerry to experience work in

SECTION 20

#1732775944738

2398-554: A single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing the sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without the citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge

2507-572: A small publisher run by Francis James . According to author Richard Neville , Frank Packer was angered by James's refusal to sell the Anglican Press, so he sent Kerry and some burly friends to pressure him into selling. They forced their way in and reportedly began vandalising the premises, but James was able to barricade himself in his office and call Rupert Murdoch, Packer's most powerful rival. Murdoch quickly dispatched his own team of 'heavies', who threw Kerry and friends out. Not surprisingly,

2616-639: A terrible deal for Optus. One.Tel did not even need to sign up a customer to a long-term contract, it merely needed to have a customer accept a SIM card in order to receive $ 120 from Optus. This reportedly led to some unusual business practices, such as paying customers $ 10 to accept a new SIM card. Many SIM cards were never used. It also had an adverse impact on the credit-worthiness of One.Tel's customers, as One.Tel signed up many people who would not have been accepted as customers by other telephone carriers. It has been reported that One.Tel's customers were mainly "single mothers, pensioners and teenagers". This aspect of

2725-587: A three-day losing streak at London casinos cost him almost A$ 28 million – the biggest reported gambling loss in British history. Once he won A$ 33 million at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas , and he often won as much as A$ 7 million each year during his annual holidays in the UK. Packer's visits were a risky affair for the casinos, as his wins and losses could make quite a difference to

2834-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of

2943-537: Is by no means the most cash I ever had in my life." Notwithstanding the significant efforts made to preserve his security and privacy, Packer suffered two mysterious break-ins at his companies' headquarters in Park Street, Sydney: Packer broke the sports boycott of apartheid South Africa which prevented South African sportsmen from representing their country when he recruited a number of South African cricketers to play on his World Series Cricket Team. His timing

3052-473: Is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of

3161-563: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding

3270-570: Is produced by the public network, ABC ). After recovering from the operation, Packer launched an organ transplant association in memory of cricketer David Hookes . Kerry Packer died of kidney failure on 26 December 2005, nine days after his 68th birthday, at home in Sydney, Australia, with his family by his bedside. Knowing that his health was failing, he instructed his doctors not to treat him with curative intent or by artificially prolonging his life with dialysis . He told his cardiologist earlier in

3379-485: Is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at the centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of

Kerry Packer - Misplaced Pages Continue

3488-840: The Full Send Podcast that Packer closed down the Desert Inn Casino (which was replaced by the Wynn Hotel ) by winning 52 million dollars in one day and insisting they pay him in cash, as the previous day when he lost 8.2 million dollars they insisted he pay them in cash. The Ritz Hotel in London even had its own room for Kerry Packer. There he was able to play blackjack with a minimum bet of £10,000 per hand. He once lost more than £19 million in this room. Packer suffered as many as four heart attacks . In 1990, while playing polo at Warwick Farm , Sydney, he suffered from

3597-510: The Sydney Morning Herald in September that Rich was a visionary, that Brad and Jodee were excellent managers and that the share price would recover. In January 2001, Jodee met with Kerry Packer who told him, "You ran out of money with Imagineering , and you're going to do it again". A Macquarie Bank report states that the company was worth $ 3.5 billion, and the share price doubled within days. Merrill Lynch predicted that

3706-488: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia

3815-430: The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to assist in its case against Jodee Rich. The Supreme Court of New South Wales ruled that the diaries should be made available to ASIC but warned that the material should not be used "in a manner that simply raises prurient or titillatory interest that is not directly relevant to the case". ASIC is reportedly seeking compensation of $ 92 million from Jodee Rich and

3924-698: The Australian cricket team ; and past and present figures from all sides of politics. The Kerry Packer Civic Gallery within the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre of the University of South Australia was endowed by the Packer family. Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It

4033-466: The Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in the recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of the order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of

4142-657: The Fyning Hill estate in West Sussex and expanded it to over 400 acres. Packer built the headquarters for his Ellerston polo team at Fyning Hill, and would arrive at the estate in May for the three-month English polo season. Packer sold the estate to the Russian businessman Roman Abramovich in 1999 for £ 12 million. Packer was a long-time heavy smoker and an avid gambler, fabled for his large wins and losses. In 1999,

4251-478: The Nine Network at the record price of A$ 1.05 billion in 1987, and then bought it back three years later for a mere A$ 250 million, when Bond's empire was collapsing. Packer later quipped, "You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime, and I've had mine". Packer was then able to reinvest the proceeds in a 25% share in the Foxtel pay TV consortium. After the sale to Bond, Packer said that he had regretted

4360-601: The Nine Network . His mother, Gretel Bullmore, was the daughter of Herbert Bullmore , the Scottish rugby union player. He had an older brother, Clyde Packer . He took part in various sports at school, including boxing, cricket, and rugby; though he struggled academically, possibly due to undiagnosed dyslexia . On his father's death in 1974, the family estate, valued at $ 100 million, passed directly to Packer. His father had fallen out with his elder son, Clyde, in 1972. Packer, through his family company Consolidated Press Holdings,

4469-554: The Sydney Morning Herald reported that former federal opposition leader , and subsequently an Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull , a former legal adviser and business associate of Packer, revealed to journalist Annabel Crabb that Packer had threatened to have him killed when they fell out over their 1991 attempt to take over the Fairfax newspaper group through their Tourang consortium. Packer reportedly made

Kerry Packer - Misplaced Pages Continue

4578-413: The 1970s the global cricket establishment fiercely opposed Packer in the courts. To counter the establishment, Packer hired the ten best Queen's Counsels in the UK and put them on retainers, stipulating that they were not to take on any additional work during the court case (the sole purpose of which was to deny the establishment the best legal minds to prosecute their case) . When he died he was mourned with

4687-410: The 1980s, and "famously sold the network to Alan Bond and then bought it back three years later for less than a quarter of the price." Writes the Sydney Morning Herald , "Packer's decision to sell Nine to Bond in 1987 for $ 1.2 billion - before buying back the network in 1990 for $ 250 million - is legendary in Australian television." Moreover, Packer was not the first choice to take over the running of

4796-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It

4905-537: The Murdoch press had a field day with the news that the son of Australia's biggest media tycoon had been caught brawling in the street. Like Murdoch, Packer's critics saw his ever-expanding cross-media holdings as a potential threat to media diversity and freedom of speech . He also repeatedly came under fire for his companies' alleged involvement in tax evasion schemes and for the extremely low amounts of company tax that his corporations are reported to have paid over

5014-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in

5123-597: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to

5232-486: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised

5341-439: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment

5450-594: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of

5559-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to

SECTION 50

#1732775944738

5668-576: The Springboks players that they would never play for their country again if they committed to the WRC, and they remained with the SARU. Most of the All Blacks then followed them, and finally the Wallabies did too, so the WRC project was abandoned. Packer was often the centre of controversy. One of the earliest incidents occurred on 7 June 1960, when his father was trying to take over the Anglican Press,

5777-532: The UK One.Tel to concentrate on its oil and gas businesses. Ironically, a mooted purchaser was News Corporation. However, on 19 December 2005 The Carphone Warehouse announced it was buying the company to merge its customers with its TalkTalk telecommunications offering. The One.Tel UK business was retained as a separate operating company, and not merged into the main TalkTalk Group business. In late 2007

5886-460: The agreement later in May when further evidence of One.Tel's financial problems emerged. The directors appointed Ferrier Hodgson as administrator on 29 May 2001. The administrator's report states that the company was insolvent by March 2001. The administrator began laying off the 1,400 employees of One.Tel from 8 June 2001. On 14 October 2005 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the personal diaries of James Packer would be made available to

5995-440: The air!", referring to Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos hosted by Doug Mulray , which was cut during its first and only airing on national television. (It has since aired in its entirety.) He is also said to have often manipulated broadcasts of cricket himself, to ensure that the end of a cricket match was broadcast, despite previously set television broadcast schedules. Packer faced a 1991 Australian government inquiry into

6104-495: The assistance of his counsel Malcolm Turnbull . In 1987, the charges were formally dismissed by Attorney-General Lionel Bowen . Mystery surrounded Packer's receipt of a "loan" of A$ 225,000 in cash from Brian Ray, a bankrupt Queensland businessman. When questioned about this transaction at the Costigan Royal Commission, Packer said "...I like cash. I have a squirrel mentality. I like to keep money in cash. It

6213-511: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for

6322-502: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in

6431-462: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. One.Tel The company was established by Jodee Rich and Brad Keeling and had high-profile backers such as the Murdoch and Packer families. James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch sat on

6540-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient   ... of the Order of Australia

6649-402: The board of the company. One.Tel attempted to create a youth-oriented image to sell their mobile phones and One.Net internet services. It became Australia's fourth largest telecommunications company before collapsing in 2001. Rich and Keeling continued to receive $ 7m in payments shortly before the company entered administration. The Packer and Murdoch families were embarrassed by the failure of

SECTION 60

#1732775944738

6758-451: The business has led some commentators to speculate that the business was initially conceived as a pump and dump operation - a business that had no long-term future, but was being built up for a quick sale via an initial public offering (IPO). Between May 1995 and September 1996 One.Tel increased its customer base from zero to over 100,000. Optus decided to end its dealings with the company in September 1996, selling its shareholding back to

6867-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised

6976-463: The coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of the order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on a bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear

7085-530: The community, as Packer was notorious for his alleged tax minimisation. At the memorial service, close friend Alan Jones was Master of Ceremonies. The service featured speeches from his son, James; Russell Crowe on behalf of his daughter, Gretel; the Prime Minister in office at the time, John Howard ; and cricket legend Richie Benaud . Attendees included Tom Cruise (a friend of James Packer) and his then-partner Katie Holmes ; Greg Norman ; members of

7194-545: The company for $ 4 million and paying compensation of $ 19.75 million for ending the $ 120 million deal early . In its annual report for the year ended 30 June 1997, One.Tel reported revenue of $ 148 million and a before tax profit of $ 7.5 million. At that time the company had almost 300 staff. One.Tel floated on the Australian Stock Exchange at $ 2 per share in November 1997. Initial market capitalization

7303-425: The company would run out of money by April. In February, director Rodney Adler sold 5 million shares for $ 2.5 million. During April and May the company's problems became increasingly apparent. In a final attempt to give the company a chance to survive, News Limited and PBL agreed to subscribe to a rights issue at 5 cents per share to supply another $ 132 million in much needed cash. News Limited and PBL reneged upon

7412-567: The company, especially after it was reported that both James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch had persuaded their fathers to back the company and invest. The company's slogan was "You'll tell your friends about One.Tel", aimed at drawing the connection between the brand and personal communication. The company also had a cartoon mascot known as "The Dude". The Dude was a cartoon-like depiction of a man in his early twenties, drawn by Adam Long, Jodee Rich's brother-in-law. One Tel began operations in May 1995. In 1999 One.Tel's Next Generation 3GSM 1800 network

7521-427: The death of his father. During the 1980s, Packer owned radio stations 2UE and 3AK. He decided to link both stations to form the ill-fated Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation. With both stations networked, breakfast came from Melbourne's 3AK and everything else from Sydney's 2UE. The format lasted six months in 1986. In 1987, Packer made a fortune at the expense of disgraced tycoon Alan Bond . He reportedly sold Bond

7630-551: The decision to sell Nine and wished he had not gone through with the transaction. At the 2006 PBL AGM , Kerry's son, James, told of the true complexities of the deal. Kerry Packer received A$ 800 million in cash, with A$ 250 million left in Bond Media as subordinated debt . As Bond went under, Packer converted the subordinated debt into a 37% stake in Bond Media. About A$ 500 million of debt remained in Bond Media. Packer received $ 800 million in cash before receiving

7739-463: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of

7848-695: The family's business empire—his father had intended that Kerry's elder brother, Clyde Packer, would take over the company, but Clyde fell out with his father in the early 1970s and left Australia permanently. Kerry Packer's independent business life began after his father's death in 1974 when he inherited control of the family's controlling share in PBL, valued at A$ 100 million . Further, his principal Australian investments in television and casinos were highly protected from competition by government regulation which Packer and his employees worked very hard to have maintained. The Packer family's business reputation suffered

7957-542: The finances of even bigger casinos. Packer was also known for his sometimes volcanic temper—and for his perennial contempt for journalists who sought to question his activities. Packer is quoted for an exchange in a poker tournament at the Stratosphere Casino , where a Texan oil investor was attempting to engage him in a game of poker. Upon the Texan saying "I'm worth $ 60 million!", Packer apparently pulled out

8066-497: The financial year ended 30 June 1998 One.Tel reported a before tax profit of $ 8.8 million. During the year the company had commenced a 'Global Strategy', opening offices in Los Angeles , London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Zürich. In September 1998 the company purchased mobile spectrum in each of the Australian capital cities at a cost of $ 9.5 million with a view to establishing its own mobile network. The company

8175-586: The financial year ended 30 June 1999 One.Tel reported a before tax profit of $ 9.8 million. The most remarkable day in the history of One.Tel was 23 November 1999. Lucent Technologies announced that it would build and finance a European GSM mobile network for One.Tel at a cost of up to US$ 10 billion. The company's market capitalization reaches a high of A$ 5.3 billion on 26 November 1999, making it one of Australia's largest 30 companies. In March 2000 One.Tel spent $ 523 million on purchasing additional Australian spectrum licenses. The Packer and Murdoch families provided

8284-493: The former One.Tel finance director, Mark Silbermann on the basis that they did not exercise their powers with respect to the company with due care and diligence. On 18 November 2009 Justice Austin of the New South Wales Supreme Court dismissed ASIC's civil proceedings against One.Tel's former joint Managing Director, Mr Jodee Rich and the company's Finance Director, Mr Mark Silbermann. Following

8393-489: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of

8502-683: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on

8611-586: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As

8720-430: The media empire and its related holdings over many decades. As pointed out by internet news outlet Crikey , if $ 100 million had been invested in the Australian sharemarket in September 1974 through a balanced portfolio of the top 200 companies, that portfolio would be worth a lot more than $ 6.9 billion in December 2005, possibly as much as $ 11 billion. Packer controlled Nine Network and Nine's Wide World of Sports in

8829-401: The newspaper industry from the ground up, so Packer started in the loading dock of the Sydney newspaper The Telegraph , loading papers. He was not originally destined for the role, but in the early 1970s Kerry took the place of the designated successor, his older brother, Clyde, after Clyde fell out with their father, quit PBL and moved to America. Kerry took over the running of PBL in 1974, on

8938-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise

9047-674: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by

9156-448: The order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to the order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to the quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of the Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing

9265-457: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of

9374-681: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of

9483-458: The print media industry with some reluctance, but great humour. When asked to state his full name and the capacity in which he appeared, he replied: "Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer. I have appeared here reluctantly." Packer fronted the inquiry over allegations that he had some secret control over the content of the Fairfax papers (an organisation that Packer had wished to purchase for some time, but

9592-707: The street, to have access to the entire suite of telephony products, which is why the company was marketed with the catch phrase "100% Telephone Company" . At that time, the company was firmly established in the telecommunications market, with operations in Australia, London , Paris , Amsterdam , Zürich , Frankfurt and Hong Kong . One.Tel had three core product offerings: fixed wire long distance, Internet service provision and mobile telephony. From 1998 through to 2000, One.Tel's customer base more than tripled to 2.2 million and revenues doubled to $ 653 million . The business grew rapidly in Europe. In December 1998 Project GSM

9701-515: The threat after Turnbull told Packer he was going to have him thrown out of the consortium by revealing Packer's intention to play an interventionist role in the newspaper group. He told me he'd kill me, yeah. I didn't think he was completely serious, but I didn't think he was entirely joking either. Look, he could be pretty scary. He did threaten to kill me and I said to him: "Well, you'd better make sure that your assassin gets me first because, if he misses, you better know I won't miss you." He could be

9810-413: The time of his death, the Nine Network was the jewel in the PBL crown. Although it had a tough year in 2005 against rival Seven Network (which was aided largely by US TV hits such as Desperate Housewives and Lost ), Nine still finished the year as the number-one network. Outside Australia, Packer was best known for founding World Series Cricket . In 1977 the Nine Network cricket rights deal led to

9919-413: The way that ASIC managed the case. In particular: These criticisms led Justice Austin to observe that "there is a real question whether ASIC should ever bring civil proceedings seeking to prove so many things over such a period of time as in this case." Centrica acquired the UK business of One.Tel in 2001 and ran it successfully for some years. On 15 October 2005, Centrica stated that it wished to sell

10028-536: The week that he was "running out of petrol" and wanted to " die with dignity ". His private funeral service was held on 30 December 2005, at the family's country retreat, Ellerston , near Scone in the Hunter Valley . Having obtained council permission, he was buried on the Ellerston property near the polo field. It was reported in November 2011, both in the UK and Australia, that the grave was to be marked by

10137-611: The years. He fought repeated battles with the Australian Taxation Office over his corporate taxes. His most severe legal challenge came in 1984 with the Costigan Commission alleging (using the codename of "the squirrel", renamed "the Goanna " in media reports) that he was involved in tax evasion and organised crime , including drug trafficking . He successfully counter-attacked the commission with

10246-523: Was $ 208 million. On paper, FAI had turned a $ 950,000 investment into $ 51 million; Packer had turned $ 250,000 into $ 17 million and Rich and Keeling had a combined stake worth well over $ 100 million. In addition, the company had paid out $ 4 million in dividends and $ 2.85 million in consulting fees to Rich, Keeling, FAI and Packer. The original shareholders also received $ 16.9 million for the sale of two businesses, One.Net and One.Card to One.Tel in July 1998. In

10355-411: Was approximately $ 5 million. One.Tel was officially launched by Rodney Adler on 1 May 1995. The link with Australia's second largest telecommunications company, Optus, proved crucial to the company's early success. One.Tel initially operated largely as a reseller of Optus services, receiving $ 120 for each mobile telephone customer that it attracted . The Optus contract was a wonderful deal for One.Tel and

10464-482: Was best known for founding World Series Cricket . At the time of his death, he was the richest and one of the most influential men in Australia. In 2004, Business Review Weekly magazine estimated Packer's net worth at A$ 6.5 billion . Kerry Packer was born on 17 December 1937 in Sydney , Australia. His father was Sir Frank Packer , an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and

10573-555: Was connecting over 250,000/month globally. Jodee Rich and Brad Keeling decided to start a telephone company in August 1994. Jodee Rich developed a business plan for the company in September 1994. The ownership structure of the company in February 1995 was: Optus 28.5%; FAI 18%; James Packer 5%; Kalara Investments 50% (approximately). Kalara Investments was owned by Jodee Rich and Brad Keeling. The total initial seed capital for One.Tel

10682-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by

10791-795: Was criticised, coming just months after the Soweto riots and the death of Steve Biko , murdered by the members of the South African security forces. Packer's primary schooling suffered greatly when he was struck with a severe bout of poliomyelitis at age eight, and he was confined to an iron lung for nine months. His father apparently thought little of his son's abilities, once cruelly describing him as "the family idiot", although Kerry subsequently steered PBL to heights far beyond anything his father or brother achieved. The nickname his father gave Kerry made him strive to new heights in schooling, trying to achieve "A" grades. His end of year report said he

10900-543: Was developed by Jodee Rich , Bradley Keeling , Kevin Beck, Stephen Moore and Alicia Crisp. This initial concept became the foundation for the One.Tel Next Gen 3GSM cellular network in Australia and spawned the international hybrid MVNO concept developed by One.Tel CTO Stephen Moore. In February 1999, News Corporation (News) and Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) injected $ 709 million over three years . In March 2000 One.Tel

11009-408: Was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on the advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before the establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to the order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by

11118-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with

11227-417: Was launched by joint CEOs of the mobile business, Stephen Moore and David Wright in Sydney , Australia. The original thought process began with a simple initiative: they wanted to start a new telephone company, one that the average person would understand. The company was very people focused and focused on the residential market, as opposed to corporate business. They wanted the consumer, or everyday person in

11336-626: Was one of the most notable students. In an interview, former employee Trevor Sykes stated that "He didn't read much on the printed page. If you didn't want Kerry to read something, you wrote more than a one-page memo." Packer's grandfather Herbert Bullmore represented the Scotland national rugby union team in an international match against Ireland in Dublin in 1902 and worked as a doctor in Sydney for many years. Kerry Packer and his wife of 42 years, Roslyn Packer ( nee Weedon), had two children:

11445-442: Was restricted from by cross-ownership laws). During the inquiry, he repeatedly berated the politicians conducting it, and the government. When asked about his company's tax-minimisation schemes, he replied: "Of course I am minimising my tax. And if anybody in this country doesn't minimise their tax, they want their heads read, because as a government, I can tell you you're not spending it that well that we should be donating extra!" At

11554-600: Was successful in acquiring 15 MHz spectrum across all major capital cities. The One.Tel Next Generation Network was launched nationally six months ahead of schedule. It was the most technologically advanced network in Australia and offered differentiating features via a Smart SIM including 'Voicemail with Reply Now', 'Megaphone' and location-based information-on-demand services – features that are now commonplace today. By May 2000 One.Tel had operations in seven countries and regions (Australia, UK, HKSAR, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany), over 1,900,000 active customers and

11663-634: Was the major shareholder with a 37% holding in Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL). Until Packer's death PBL owned the Nine television network , and Australian Consolidated Press which produces many of Australia's top-selling magazines. He was involved in a number of other gambling and tourism ventures, notably Crown Casino in Melbourne. The Nine Network and Australian Consolidated Press businesses have since been divested to PBL Media . Packer

11772-597: Was unable to secure bank finance for the deal, and James Packer and David Lowy provided $ 5 million each to fund the purchase. In December 1998 the Packer-controlled Consolidated Press Holdings purchased FAI's 16 million shares for $ 43 million. In February 1999 the Packer-controlled Publishing & Broadcasting Limited , in conjunction with News Limited agree to provide $ 710 million in return for

11881-419: Was widely respected in business circles, courted by politicians on both sides, and was widely regarded as one of the most astute businessmen of his time, despite having been a poor student. Although Packer's reputation as an astute businessman was legendary and he made some good investments, he was by no means a self-made man —his grandfather, Robert Clyde Packer , and his father, Sir Frank Packer, had built up

#737262