Gerard Henderson

Gerard Henderson is an Australian newspaper columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The West Australian. He is also Executive Director of the Sydney Institute, a privately funded current affairs forum.cite web |url= http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/thinkers-of-influence/2005/12/09/1134086810518.html?page=fullpage |title= Thinkers of influence |author= Ewin Hannan and Shaun Carney |work= The Age |date= 10 December 2005 |quote= While not a think tank, it operates as a forum for debate. It does not commission research or have policies.” “The institute is privately funded, with all papers delivered to it published in "The Sydney Papers." ] His wife Anne Henderson is Deputy Director.

Henderson attended the Jesuit Xavier College in Melbourne. He studied Arts and Law at the University of Melbourne, prior to completing his Ph.D. He taught at Tasmania and La Trobe universities before working for four years on the staff of Kevin Newman in Malcolm Fraser’s Coalition government.

From 1980 to 1983 he was employed in the Commonwealth Department of Industrial Relations and was Chief-of-Staff to John Howard between 1984 and 1986 (during which time Howard was Deputy Leader, and later, Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia). Gerard Henderson was appointed by the Keating government to the board of the Australia Foundation for Culture and the Humanities and by the Howard government to the editorial board of the Documents on Australian Foreign Policy series.

As a commentator Henderson is on the conservative side of politics on issues such as industrial relations, national security and the Iraq War, while holding progressive political views on the Australian republic, asylum seekers, multiculturalism and euthanasia. His columns defended the former Howard government policy on Iraq and national security since the September 11 attacks.

Gerard Henderson is the author of "Mr Santamaria and the Bishops" (1982), "Australian Answers" (1990), "Gerard Henderson Scribbles On" (1993), "Menzies' Child: The Liberal Party of Australia" (1994, second edition 1998) and "A Howard Government? Inside the Coalition" (Harper Collins, 1995) - as well as numerous articles and essays. In August 1994 he profiled former Prime Minister Bob Hawke for the ABC TV "Four Corners" program.

Henderson is a known critic of the Chaser satirical news team, voicing his disgust at the Chaser's attacks on Henderson, his dealings with politicians, and events that he stages at the Sydney Institute.

Media appearances

Henderson regularly appears as a commentator on political TV programs such as "Insiders" (ABC), "Agenda" (Sky News), and the Radio National "Breakfast" program [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/] on Friday mornings.

References

External links

* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/gerardhenderson/ Gerard Henderson columns] in "The Sydney Morning Herald."