Alan Jones (broadcaster)
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Alan Belford Jones (born 13 April 1941) is an Australian former talkback host, coach of the
Australia national rugby union team The Australia men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for Australia. The Wallabies first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first Test match (rugby u ...
, and
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
coach and administrator. He has worked as a school teacher, a speech writer in the office of Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
, and in musical theatre. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
and completed a one-year teaching diploma at
Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...
. He has received civil and industry awards. Jones hosted a popular Sydney breakfast radio program on radio station
2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia, owned by Nine Radio, that also owns 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2024, 2GB held 14% of the total radio ratings share, making it one of the most widely listened-to radio sta ...
from 2002 until 2020. Jones advocates conservative views, and the popularity of his radio program has made him a highly paid and influential media personality in Australia. Despite his success, he remains a controversial figure. His on-air conduct has received adverse findings from Australia's media regulators, and he has frequently been sued for defamation. In May 2020, Jones announced his retirement from his role at 2GB. In November 2021 it was confirmed that his contract with
Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs fe ...
would not be renewed. Since December 2021, Jones has presented ''Alan Jones: Direct to the People'' on
ADH TV ADH TV (Australian Digital Holdings) is a streaming news channel based in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale. The channel features libertarian and conservative presenters and airs live content for five hours every weekday. The channel's chief execu ...
. In November 2024, Jones was arrested and charged with twenty-six offences against eight alleged victims between 2001 and 2019, including aggravated indecent assault, assault with an act of indecency, sexually touching another person without consent, and common assault. The youngest alleged was being 17 at the time. Two more indecent assault charges (relating to a ninth alleged victim) were laid in November, followed by an additional eight charges (relating to a tenth alleged victim) in December. On 18 December 2024, Jones pled not guilty to all charges. On 7 March 2025, Jones was charged with an additional count of indecent assault, relating to an eleventh alleged victim.


Early life and career

Jones was born to farmer and coal miner Charlie Thomas (1906–90) and former school teacher Elizabeth ("Beth", née Belford; 1906–82). He was the middle of three children, with an older brother, Robert Charles, and a younger sister, Colleen, both of whom would become school teachers like their mother and brother. Jones was raised on a dairy farm near
Oakey Oakey is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The Oakey Army Aviation Centre, Museum of Army Aviation is located at Oakey Airport. In the , the locality of Oakey had a pop ...
in south-east Queensland, attending primary school at Acland State School, before transferring to
Toowoomba Grammar School Toowoomba Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding grammar school for boys, in East Toowoomba, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. Toowoomba Grammar was established in 1875, the third school to be ...
as a boarder. After leaving school, Jones trained as a teacher at the
Kelvin Grove Teachers College Kelvin Grove Teachers' College was established in 1961 to provide courses in primary and secondary teacher education from its predecessor the Queensland Teachers' Training College. History The Brisbane School of Arts was formed in 1849 and it wa ...
(now part of the
Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...
) in Brisbane. In 1961, he commenced his teaching career at a state primary school, Ironside State School in the inner suburbs of Brisbane. In 1963, he obtained a position at
Brisbane Grammar School Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) is an Independent school, independent, fee charging, non-denominational, day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in Spring Hill, Queensland, Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Austra ...
, a private secondary school for boys, where he remained until the end of 1969. Throughout this period he also studied part-time at the
University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
for a Bachelor of Arts degree, which he was awarded in 1967. Apart from his teaching duties at Brisbane Grammar, Jones additionally proved to be a highly successful sporting coach in athletics, tennis, and, later, rugby union. In 1970, Jones was appointed Senior English Master at
The King's School, Parramatta The King's School is an Education in Australia#Non-government schools, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Pre-school education, early learning, primary school, primary and secondary school, secondary day and boarding school, bo ...
in Sydney. Again Jones was also heavily involved in coaching a number of sports with considerable success, including progressing to coaching the First XV rugby union side, which he took to the championship in an unbeaten season in 1974. At the end of the first term in 1975, following a meeting with the school's principal, Jones chose to resign from the school. It has been reported that reasons for his resignation include his divisiveness and his inappropriate relationships with students. After leaving King's School Jones briefly moved to
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
where he made a failed bid to win preselection to stand as a Country Party candidate for federal parliament. He then spent several years as the manager of a small airline in
Quirindi Quirindi ( or ) is a small town on the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Liverpool Plains Shire. At the , Quirindi had a population of 2,602. It is the nearest link to Gunnedah, New South Wales, Gunnedah to the northw ...
in country New South Wales, where he also coached the local rugby team. During this same period, over 1976–77 while in his mid-30s, Jones spent time in England where he completed a one-year diploma in educational studies at
Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...
. While at Oxford Jones won a university
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...
for tennis. In 1978, Jones returned to Sydney to run for the state parliament as a
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
candidate. After failing to win his seat in the election, Jones worked for some time as a speechwriter for the Liberal New South Wales opposition leader, John Mason. In 1979, Jones was recruited as a speechwriter for the Liberal
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
, Malcolm Fraser, so returned to Canberra for the position, remaining there until early 1981. He then moved back to Sydney after being recruited to be executive director of the New South Wales Employers' Federation, where he worked until he began his radio career in 1985. In October 1985, Jones was awarded the Rostrum Speakers' Award as the Communicator of the Year.


Political aspirations

In 1974, a parent at The King's School, Parramatta,
Doug Anthony John Douglas Anthony (31 December 192920 December 2020) was an Australian politician. He served as leader of the National Party of Australia from 1971 to 1984 and was the second and longest-serving deputy prime minister, holding the position un ...
, leader of the Country Party (now the
National Party of Australia The National Party of Australia, commonly known as the Nationals or simply the Nats, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia. Traditionally represe ...
) in the
Australian Parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the Monarchy of Australia, monarch of Australia (repr ...
, offered Jones a position with the party in Canberra. In 1975, Jones sought party preselection as the candidate for the Federal parliamentary seat of Eden-Monaro, but lost the bid. In 1978, he was the candidate for the July 1978 by-election for the New South Wales state seat of
Earlwood Earlwood is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Earlwood is located 10 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is part of the Canterbury-Bankstown area. It is in the local government area o ...
for the
Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia (LP) is the prominent centre-right political party in Australia. It is considered one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberal Party was fo ...
, formerly held by deposed Liberal leader Sir
Eric Willis Sir Eric Archibald Willis (15 January 1922 – 10 May 1999) was an Australian politician, Cabinet Minister and the 34th Premier of New South Wales, serving from 23 January 1976 to 14 May 1976. Born in Murwillumbah in 1922, Willis was educated ...
. He lost what had been considered a "safe seat". Jones again contested the seat for the Liberal Party at the
1978 New South Wales state election The 1978 New South Wales state election was held on 7 October 1978 to elect all 99 members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. The Labor Party Government was returned for a second term,defeating the Opposition Liberal/National coaliti ...
held in October; the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...
candidate was returned with a greater majority. In September 1979, Jones stood for Liberal preselection for the federal
Division of North Sydney The Division of North Sydney was an Australian Electoral Divisions, Australian electoral division in the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales from 1901 to 2025. On 12 September 2024, the Australian Electoral Commissio ...
, placing third in the ballot. The winning candidate, Peter Solomon, was later disendorsed, but Jones did not recontest the ballot in March 1980, with
John Spender John Michael Spender (2 December 1935 – 13 October 2022) was an Australian politician, diplomat and barrister. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1990, representing the Liberal Party, and was a shadow minister under ...
taking preselection and winning the seat. In 1986, Jones nominated for the Liberal preselection for the federal
Division of Wentworth The Division of Wentworth is an Electorates of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales. The division encompasses the suburbs east of Sydney cen ...
in Sydney, but was a late withdrawal from the ballot; the preselection and seat was won by future Liberal leader
John Hewson John Robert Hewson AM (born 28 October 1946) is an Australian former politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1990 to 1994. He led the Liberal-National Coalition to defeat at the 1993 Australian federal election. Hewson w ...
.


Coaching career


Rugby union

1982 was the beginning of Jones' association with semi-professional rugby, firstly appointed as (part-time) manager of the NSW Rugby Union team. The next year he served as coach for the Manly Rugby Union team, winning the
Shute Shield The Shute Shield, currently known as the Charter Hall Shute Shield, is a semi-professional rugby union competition in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier club competition in New South Wales. The Shute Shield is awarded to the winning team fro ...
competition for the first time in 32 years. In February 1984, Jones replaced
Bob Dwyer Bob Dwyer AM (born 29 November 1940) is an Australian rugby union coach. Early life Educated at Sydney Boys High School, from which he graduated in 1957, Dwyer played 2nd XV rugby for the school, lining up alongside former Canterbury-Bankstow ...
as coach of the
Australia national rugby union team The Australia men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for Australia. The Wallabies first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first Test match (rugby u ...
(the Wallabies). Jones coached the Australian team for 4 years with 86 victories from 102 matches including 23 victories in 30 Tests. When he took the team on it included
Mark Ella Mark Gordon Ella, Order of Australia, AM (born 5 June 1959) is an indigenous Australian former rugby union footballer. Ella played at flyhalf, flyhalf/five-eighth and was capped by the Australia national rugby union team, Wallabies 25 times, capt ...
, and it soon recruited
Peter FitzSimons Peter John FitzSimons (born 29 June 1961) is an Australian author, journalist, and radio and television presenter. He is a former national representative rugby union player and was the chair of the Australian Republic Movement from 2015 to 20 ...
and James Black, both Manly players, and
Nick Farr-Jones Nicholas Campbell Farr-Jones AM (born 18 April 1962) is a former Australian rugby union player, who played as a scrum-half. He debuted for the Australia national team during the 1984 tour of Britain and Ireland. Farr-Jones was named "Player ...
. Also in 1984, Australia's national team, the Wallabies, won the
Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...
victories over
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
and
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, and a ''
Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...
'' side made up of the best players of those countries and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. In 1985, Jones was awarded Coach of the Year from the Confederation of Australian Sport. The 1986
Bledisloe Cup The Bledisloe Cup is an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia's Wallabies and New Zealand's All Blacks that has been contested since the 1930s. The frequency that the competition is held has varied, as has the n ...
victory against
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in New Zealand was the first time that had been achieved in 39 years. In 1988, Jones was made a
Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
for his service to Rugby Union football. In 1989, Jones was elected to the
Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...
for his contribution to sport as the Australian rugby union coach. In October 2007, Jones signalled his interest in coaching the Wallabies after Queensland Rugby Chairman Peter Lewis suggested to the media he was the right person for the job. "If Peter Lewis and the Queensland Rugby Union – who have played a major role in Australian rugby for many years – are of the view I am the person who can make that contribution then I am obligated to put my hand up and say, 'Well if that is the case, I'm available'." The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) on 14 December 2007 ruled Jones out of the coaching position, instead appointing New Zealand
Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...
coach
Robbie Deans Robert Maxwell Deans (born 4 September 1959) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights. He was head coach of the Australian national team between 2008 and 2013. Deans prev ...
. In 2017, Jones took up an invitation to coach the
Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...
against the Classic Wallabies in Lismore and the Wallabies in Sydney during the
2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals The 2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals, also known as the November internationals, or autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were international rugby union matches in 2017. The Rugby Championship, Rugby Championship winners New ...
.


Rugby league

In 1990, Jones replaced
Warren Ryan Warren Redman Ryan (born 27 October 1941) is an Australian former professional rugby league football coach and player. He is considered one of the most influential rugby league coaches of the 20th century. Ryan also played in the NSWRFL Premie ...
as coach of the
Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995 to 1996) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain, New South Wales, Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and on ...
rugby league football club, without accepting a fee. Balmain had been quite successful, including coming runners-up in 1988 and 1989 in the
New South Wales Rugby League premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...
, but with Jones in charge they struggled despite his claims upon appointment that "Balmain are sick and tired of coming second". It was while coaching Balmain that Jones was dubbed with his best known nickname, the 'Parrot', by comedian
Greig Pickhaver Gordon Greig Pickhaver (born 10 February 1948) is an Australian actor, comedian and writer, who forms one half of the satirical sports comedy duo '' Roy and HG'' as the excitable sports announcer HG Nelson. The award-winning duo teamed up in 1 ...
in his role as sports commentator H.G. Nelson, although Jones has never approved of the name. Jones coached Balmain from 1991 to 1993 with these results: 1991 – 8 wins, 12th place; 1992 – 10 wins, 10th place; 1993 – 5 wins, 12th place. At the end of the 1993 season he reapplied for the coaching role, offering a new business plan to the board, but when it was rejected he resigned. He was soon after appointed as the Manager of Football Operations with the
South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
rugby league club, also without a fee.


Media career


Radio

In 1985, Jones joined the Sydney AM radio station
2UE 2UE is an all-music radio station in Sydney owned by Nine Entertainment and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. It currently broadcasts from its studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales. History 1920s 2EU Electrical Utilities applied to the P ...
as the morning show host after long-time host
John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a retired Australian radio announcer who had a broadcasting career that spanned 71 years. His distinctive voice earned him the nickname ''Golden Tonsils''. Career Best known as a talkback ...
left for
2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia, owned by Nine Radio, that also owns 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2024, 2GB held 14% of the total radio ratings share, making it one of the most widely listened-to radio sta ...
. Laws returned to 2UE in 1988 to again host the morning show, so from March of that year Jones was moved to the breakfast slot from 5.30 am to 9.00 am. On changing to the breakfast show, Jones first adopted the program's long-time opening and closing theme music, "
Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...
" by
Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single " Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking a ...
. By the mid-1990s Jones' audience share in the Sydney market was up to 22%, giving him the largest radio audience in Sydney, and, including his transmissions into regional and interstate markets, possibly the largest radio audience in Australia. Jones' program has remained little changed over time, as a mixture of opinion pieces, interviews,
talkback Talkback or talk back may refer to: *Talkback (album), ''Talkback'' (album), a 1983 album by the Canadian band the Spoons *Talk Back (Kembe X album), ''Talk Back'' (Kembe X album), 2016 *Talkback, an alternate name for Marvel Comics superhero C ...
, and commercial endorsements. His on-air popularity has made him a highly paid and powerful media personality. Jones uses his program to advocate largely conservative views, and he has been described as one of the most influential broadcasters in Australia. Throughout his time on radio Jones has frequently been referred to as a '
shock jock A shock jock is a radio broadcaster or DJ who entertains listeners and attracts attention using humor or melodramatic exaggeration that may offend some portion of the listening audience. The term is used pejoratively to describe provocative or ...
' due to the style of his presentation, although he personally rejects this term. In January 1993, the
International Year of the World's Indigenous People The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII or PFII) is the UN's central coordinating body for matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world's indigenous peoples. There are more than 370 million indigenous peop ...
, Jones described the choice of
Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...
Mandawuy Yunupingu Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu , formerly Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu, and also known as Dr Yunupingu (17 September 1956 – 2 June 2013), was a teacher and musician, and frontman of the Aboriginal rock group Yothu Yindi from 1986. He ...
as
Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Government-owned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the state and territor ...
as "ridiculous" and suggested Yunupingu had been granted the award because of his "colour or ... history". Later that year, prominent Aboriginal Australian Charles Perkins and Jones clashed in a live TV and radio debate. Jones said Australians are "getting no say when boriginal peoplesay this is
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
nation; it's not, it's Australia's nation ... verage Australiansare being asked to pay taxes to fund people who are seeking title to productive land to which they've made no contribution to its productivity". Perkins called Jones racist and a redneck and commented "You've sat on your white bum at 2UE in Sydney all your life so you wouldn't know what goes on out there". On seven occasions between 1990 and 1997, Jones was awarded by
Commercial Radio Australia Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) is the peak body for the commercial radio broadcasting industry in Australia. CRA was formed in 1930 as the Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters. It provides representation and advocacy on common statuto ...
the title Australian Radio Talk Personality of the Year. In 2001 Jones was awarded the
Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...
and the
Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, off ...
, both being awarded for his contributions to sport and the broadcasting industry. In 2002, Jones switched to 2GB as breakfast announcer, reportedly also taking a financial interest in the station. In 2008, Jones' audience numbers began to fall, with competition from ABC Radio 702, although he retained his number one position. In 2011, Jones had an audience share of 19.2 per cent, still the largest for a radio commentator in Sydney. In 2012 Jones retained the largest share, with 18.5% of the Sydney radio audience, although this represented an average number of listeners of just 151,000 out of a listening audience of 469,000 and a possible Sydney audience of 4.1 million, and was down from 185,000 in 2006 despite an increase in population. In February 2013, his audience share dropped to 15.4%. In November 2014, Jones celebrated having the highest share in Sydney breakfast radio for 100 consecutive radio rating surveys. In May 2020, Jones announced he would retire from his role at 2GB at the end of that month. He cited ill health, however some news outlets have stated that it was a forced resignation after making controversial comments about
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...
the previous year cost his breakfast program large sums of money from advertisers. Some of that revenue has never returned.


Print

Jones' first regular position in the media was writing a column called "The Way I See It" for the Quirindi ''Advocate'' newspaper from November 1977 until February 1978. From 1988 until 1990 Jones wrote a regular column for the Sydney Sunday tabloid ''
The Sun-Herald ''The Sun-Herald'' is an Australian newspaper published in tabloid or compact format on Sundays in Sydney by Nine Entertainment. It is the Sunday counterpart of the ''Sydney Morning Herald''. In the six months to September 2005, ''The Sun-H ...
'', but did not appear following a petition by staff calling for his removal as a contributor. This followed Jones' publication of a column predicting an oil crisis, in which a large amount of material had been taken from
Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth ( ; 25 August 1938 – 9 June 2025) was an English novelist and journalist. He was best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', ''The Fourth Protocol'', ''The Dogs of War (novel), ...
's novel ''
The Negotiator ''The Negotiator'' is a 1998 American crime thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray. It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey as Chicago Police Department lieutenants who are expert hostage negotiators. The film was released in the United Sta ...
'' without attribution or indication that their source was a work of fiction. Jones was later hired by the Sun-Herald's rival paper, ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...
'', where he wrote a one-page column titled "To the Point" until 1995. Since the 1980s, Jones has frequently been the subject of profile pieces in newspapers and magazines throughout the country, which have ranged in style from complimentary to investigatory and critical.


Television

At the end of January 1994, Jones debuted in his own
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
program, ''
Alan Jones Live ''Alan Jones Live'' was a nightly Australian current affairs and talk-back television program that aired on Network Ten from 31 January 1994 to 28 April 1994. Hosted by then 2UE Sydney radio broadcaster Alan Jones, it aired nationally at 7:00&n ...
'', intended to be similar in purpose and content to the American program ''
Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...
''. Proving to be a ratings failure, it was cancelled in April 1994 after just 13 weeks on air. In March 1995, he began a segment making editorial comment on the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
's ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' breakfast show. Jones continued to present this 7.15 am editorial on ''Today'' until it was eventually cancelled in June 2007. From 2013, Jones began co-hosting a political discussion program on
Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs fe ...
with
Graham Richardson Graham Frederick Richardson (born 27 September 1949) is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1983 to 1994 and served as a Cabinet Minister in both the Hawke and Keating governments. He is c ...
named ''
Richo + Jones Richo may refer to: *Matthew Richardson (footballer), a former Australian footballer * Alan Richardson, former Australian rules footballer and coach *Daniel Rich, Australian rules footballer *Graham Richardson, an Australian politician turned polit ...
''. The episode on 22 April 2014 was the twentieth most watched show on subscription television reaching 39,000 viewers and was the channel's second highest broadcast that day. An episode on 17 June, featuring a live interview with
Clive Palmer Clive Frederick Palmer (born 26 March 1954) is an Australian billionaire businessman and politician. He has iron ore, nickel, and coal holdings. Palmer owns many businesses such as Mineralogy, Waratah Coal, Queensland Nickel at Townsville, t ...
, was the seventeenth most watched show on subscription television and the most watched broadcast on Sky News with 43,000 viewers. The program was then retitled ''Jones & Co'' and co-hosted by
Peta Credlin Peta-Louise Mary Credlin (born March 1971) is an Australian media personality and former political advisor who served as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister (Australia), Chief of Staff to Tony Abbott during his term as prime minister of Aust ...
. In November 2021, Jones' contract with Sky News was not renewed. This means that for the first time in Jones' media career he has not had a media platform. Since December 2021, Jones began co-hosting a political discussion program on the free, digital platform, ADH TV,


Stage

Jones had his stage musical debut in 2012, playing the role of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
in the Lyric Theatre's production of '' Annie'' the Musical in Sydney.


Charity work

Jones is noted for his support of charity organisations and charitable causes. As well as financial contributions, Jones has regularly made personal appearances and given talks to support organisations which he backs. Jones is also well known for providing support to individuals, such as listeners who contact him through his radio show, and for giving personal, professional, and financial assistance to friends and acquaintances, especially young elite sportspeople. In 2004, Jones received a Queen's Birthday Honour of an
Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
(AO) partly for his service to the media and sports' administration, but also helping many charities. These organisations included
Youth Off The Streets Youth Off The Streets is an Australian non-denominational not-for-profit youth organisation. The organisation works with young people and their families and communities in an endeavour to create safety, offer support and provide opportunities to ...
, the Children's Hospital,
Starlight Children's Foundation The Starlight Children's Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1982. Starlight's programs include providing hospital wear, games, and deliveries to hospitalized children. The programs are provided directly to children through Starlight ...
, the Sir
Edward Dunlop Edward Dunlop may refer to: * Ed Dunlop (Edward A. L. Dunlop, born 1968), British thoroughbred racehorse trainer * Edward Arunah Dunlop (1876–1934), Canadian industrialist and politician * Edward Arunah Dunlop Jr. (1919–1981), politician in On ...
Medical Research Foundation and the Heart Research Institute.


Views and comments

Jones has been a participant in national debates for some decades. A former candidate for Liberal Party of Australia preselection, and former adviser to Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser, Jones is a noted supporter of conservative politics in Australia. He has nonetheless at different times criticised or joined forces with Australian politicians from across the party-political spectrum to lobby for political causes. Jones says he does not believe in significant
human-induced climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
and has been critical of government policy to use the Australian taxation system as a means of reducing carbon emissions. His radio show often promoted
climate change denial Climate change denial (also global warming denial) is a form of science denial characterized by rejecting, refusing to acknowledge, disputing, or fighting the scientific consensus on climate change. Those promoting denial commonly use rhetor ...
, including claims that increases in carbon dioxide are natural and that there is significant scientific disagreement on the IPCC's findings. Jones is a supporter of the Galileo Movement, a climate change denial group which argues that climate change is a hoax perpetrated to form a world government. After the 2010 Australian Federal Election, Jones was critical of Prime Minister
Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013. She held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the ...
's decision to introduce a price on carbon claiming that this was breaking a pre-election promise. In 2012, the Australian Communications and Media Authority censured Jones for broadcasting falsities about anthropological carbon dioxide, ordering him to undergo factual accuracy training and employ a fact-checker. Jones, a Sydney-based broadcaster, has criticised Sydney Lord Mayor
Clover Moore Clover Margaret Moore (née Collins, born 22 October 1945) is an Australian politician. She has been the Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney since 2004 and is currently the longest serving Lord Mayor of Sydney since the creation of the City of Sy ...
's efforts to close lane ways and parking areas in the city of Sydney to cars. Jones says that this unduly inconveniences long-distance commuters and adversely affects city based businesses. On 29 June 2011, Jones said of the Lord Mayor of Sydney "put her in the same chaff bag as Julia Gillard and throw them both out to sea" and about Greens leader
Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is an Australian former politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a Australian Senate, senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian ...
"The woman's illardoff her tree and quite frankly they should shove her and Bob Brown in a chaff bag and take them as far out to sea as they can and tell them to swim home." In February 2011, Jones asked Gillard on-air how she felt about being called "Ju-liar" and that " eople... are saying that we've got a liar running the country" following the reversal of her pre-election pledge not to introduce a new carbon tax. He also criticised her for being 10 minutes late for his program. These comments attracted condemnation from critics, including ABC Television's Jonathan Holmes of ''Media Watch''. Jones has called for consideration of expanding Australia's irrigation and dam systems. He opposed the Iemma Labor Government's plan to privatise the
Snowy Mountains Scheme The Snowy Mountains Scheme, also known as the Snowy Hydro or the Snowy scheme, is a hydroelectricity and irrigation in Australia, irrigation complex in south-east Australia. Near the border of New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...
in 2006, and in 2011, he broadcast from Mildura from where he criticised the Gillard government's Murray-Darling Basin Plan, saying "we're seeing policy made without any consultation with people who are the stakeholders – the farmers". Jones has been a campaigner against
coal seam Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extrac ...
gas mining in prime agricultural regions in Australia. Jones said on ABC Television that "no-one can be serious when they talk about food security and the great opportunities for us in Asia when our prime agricultural land is being surrendered to mining." In October 2011, Jones addressed the
National Press Club A press club is an organization for journalists and others who are professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press Club ...
on the issue. In August 2019, Jones was criticised for his remark that Prime Minister
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...
should "shove a sock down hethroat" of his New Zealand counterpart
Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...
following her criticism at the 2019
Pacific Islands Forum The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organisation that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 197 ...
conference in
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...
of the Australian Government's inaction on climate change. Jones later derided Ardern as a lightweight Prime Minister and hypocrite. Jones' remarks were widely criticised by several quarters including former Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party an ...
and his successor Morrison. At least five companies cancelled advertising with Jones' 2GB radio show following complaints from customers. Jones later sent an apology letter to Prime Minister Ardern, apologizing for "not choosing his words carefully." Jones is a critic of
foreign ownership Foreign ownership refers to the ownership of a portion of a country's assets (businesses, natural resources, property, bonds, equity etc.) by individuals who are not citizens of that country or by companies whose headquarters are not in that count ...
in Australia, especially by China.


"Died of shame" controversy

In a September 2012 speech at a Sydney University Liberal Club social function, Jones stated that Prime Minister Julia Gillard was a liar and, as a consequence, her father had recently "died of shame". The remarks relating to Gillard's father were condemned from all sides of the political spectrum by politicians, media and social media outlets. Jones held a press conference and said he "got it wrong", and wanted to apologise to Gillard both publicly and in person. Julia Gillard refused to receive a call from Jones for an apology. Both the prime minister's Labor colleagues and Liberal figures including Opposition leader Tony Abbott criticised Jones for his remarks. There have been suggestions from the media that this was part of what led to
Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013. She held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the ...
's so-called "
Misogyny Speech Julia Gillard's misogyny speech was a parliamentary speech delivered by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in parliament during Question Time on 9 October 2012 in reaction to the opposition leader Tony Abbott accusing her of sexism. Backgr ...
" Labor Party figures sought to associate Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party with Jones' remarks, leading to counteraccusations that they were seeking to "gain political capital" from the affair. Many sponsors pulled advertising from Jones's show, followed by lobbying campaigned through social media to have the remaining advertisers boycott the program. On 7 October Jones' employer, the Macquarie Radio Network, announced that it would suspend all advertising on the Alan Jones show on 2GB to protect its advertisers from pressure being applied through social
media activism Media activism is a broad category of activism that utilizes Mass media, media and communication technologies for social movement, social and political movements. Methods of media activism include publishing news on websites, creating video and ...
. Jones called the campaign "cyber bullying". More than 80 sponsors boycotted Jones' program, including Telstra, Woolworths, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and Coles. Macquarie Radio estimated the boycott cost the station between $1 million and $1.5 million, and some advertisers said they will never return.


COVID-19

During March 2020, while Australia reacted to exponentially increasing infections from the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Jones played down the risk, saying "We now seem to be facing the health version of global warming. Exaggeration in almost everything. Certainly in description, and certainly in behaviour." In statements playing down the risk of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Jones concentrated on static numbers of infections and death, omitting mention of the universally-agreed exponential increase in those numbers that is behind medical professionals' concerns about the disease. At the time, Jones was in isolation at his country estate to avoid risk of infection. Jones's radio audience consists largely of older people who are in the most severe risk group for the disease. Commentator
Mike Carlton Michael James Carlton, (born 31 January 1946) is an Australian former media commentator, radio host, television journalist, author and newspaper columnist. He formerly co-hosted the daily breakfast program on Sydney radio station 2UE with Pete ...
labelled Jones's COVID-19 comments as "dangerous" and "reckless". Jones backed down soon afterwards, agreeing that for "those at greater risk, older Australians and those who are more vulnerable, particularly those with pre-existing conditions ... it is a far more serious virus", but still failed to mention the exponential increase in infection and death. Jones said that "China brought this disaster on ..." and raised rumours without evidence of China buying devalued Australian assets.


Court actions and tribunal findings

Throughout his time as a radio personality Jones has been the subject of a number of court and tribunal investigations.


Defamation cases

Jones has been involved in numerous defamation cases arising from his comments on radio. These have included: * 1990: Jones in his role with 2UE was ordered by a court to pay over $55,000 damages for defaming David Parker, a former councillor of the
NRMA The NRMA (trading name of National Roads and Motorists' Association) is an Australian organisation offering roadside assistance, advocacy for motorists and road-users, motoring advice, car servicing, International Driving Permits, travel, and ...
, the NSW Motorists' organisation; 2UE was also ordered to pay $80,000. Parker was defamed during the NRMA election campaign in October 1986. * 1994: Jones and 2UE were sued in November by Don Mackay, president of the
NRMA The NRMA (trading name of National Roads and Motorists' Association) is an Australian organisation offering roadside assistance, advocacy for motorists and road-users, motoring advice, car servicing, International Driving Permits, travel, and ...
, alleging that Jones made a false imputations against him. * 1998: Jones claimed on-air that
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
Bill Harrigan Bill Harrigan (born 24 May 1960 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former rugby league football referee, and former head of refereeing for the National Rugby League. Unusually for a sports official, in his long career he was accorded th ...
was biased. Harrigan sued Jones for defamation and, in 2001, was awarded damages of $90,000. *2002: Jones and 2UE settled out of court a defamation claim by Detective Chief Inspector Deborah Wallace, a NSW police officer. Jones defamed Wallace during five broadcasts in 2001. * 2008: Jones was found to have defamed Australian Olympic Committee chief John Coates with comments regarding Coates' handling of an incident involving rower Sally Robbins' performance at the 2004 Olympics. * 2011: Jones was sued in December by health bureaucrat Terry Clout over comments made by Jones in March 2009. * 2015: Jones was sued in January by former Queensland Premier
Campbell Newman Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is an Australian former politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Que ...
and deputy
Jeff Seeney Jeffrey William Seeney (born 2 February 1957) is a former Australian politician and the former Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning of Queensland. He was a member of the Legislative Assembl ...
over comments made by Jones alleging Mr Newman of lying to him and the public about expanding the Acland coal mine in southern Queensland. * 2018: Jones was successfully sued by members of the Wagner family after he accused them of being responsible for the deaths of 12 people during the
2010–11 Queensland floods 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
following the collapse of a wall in a quarry they owned. Jones and the radio stations that broadcast him were ordered to pay $3.7 million in damages to the Wagner family. * 2018: Jones was sued by Jeff Parnell, a NSW government acoustic scientist, who was accused by Jones of altering an independent noise-monitoring report for a wind farm. Others involved in defamation proceedings with Jones have included Aboriginal woman Mary-Lou Buck, Lola Scott (previously the highest-ranking female NSW police officer), Rockdale mayor
Shaoquett Moselmane Shaoquett Chaher Moselmane (born 1965) is an Australian former politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2009 to 2023 as a member of the parliamentary New South Wales Labor Party. He was assistant president of ...
, Aboriginal leader
Pat Dodson Patrick Lionel Djargun Dodson (born 29 January 1948) is an Australian Indigenous rights activist and former politician. He is often referred to as the "father of reconciliation" owing to his commitment to reconciliation in Australia. He was a ...
, the rugby league judiciary, liquidator Ian Ferrier and his twelve partners, Racing NSW's chief steward Ray Murrihy, rugby union chief John O'Neill (about $50,000), former Herald letters editor Geraldine Walsh (about $100,000) and QC Bob Stitt (about $50,000).


London incident

On 6 December 1988, Jones was arrested in an underground public toilet on Broadwick Street in the
Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...
area of London. He was taken to the
Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
police station and charged with 'outraging public decency' and 'committing an indecent act'. Jones' friends rushed to his support, and when the case was heard in the Marlborough Street
Magistrates' Court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several Jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) ...
the next day
The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
withdrew the more serious charge, with Jones pleading not guilty to the lesser charge of committing an indecent act. The authorities ultimately did not present any evidence to support either charge, and the second charge was also later dropped, with Jones' lawyers winning £70 in costs. Jones read a prepared statement when he first appeared back on his radio show on 16 January 1989, saying "I am and always was innocent of the charges levelled against me". Jones has avoided talking about the incident ever since, although it is frequently raised by his opponents or those looking to highlight alleged hypocrisy in his comments.


Early contempt of court charges

In 1992, Jones was rebuked by the
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
Independent Commission Against Corruption for attacking former State Minister Dr
Terry Metherell Terry Alan Metherell (born 9 January 1947) is an Australian former politician who represented the Electoral district of Davidson in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1981 to 1992. When the Liberal Party won the 1988 election, Premie ...
during evidence in an inquiry relating to Metherell's appointment to a government job. Also in 1992, Jones and radio station 2UE were found guilty of
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...
after the trial of former police officer John Killen was aborted following Jones' interview with a former Drug Enforcement Squad officer. Killen was facing a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice when Jones conducted the interview and alleged that police had suffered from false accusations. The station was fined $77,000 and Jones $2,000.


Cash for comment affair

In July 1994, '' Media Watch'' highlighted Jones' on-air promotion of
Optus Singtel Optus Pty Limited is an Australian Telecommunications in Australia, telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, a suburb in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiar ...
. Between 1999 and 2000, the '' Cash for comment'' investigation was conducted. Jones had been accused of contracting to have personal commercial support in exchange for favourable "unscripted" comments, principally for
Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 stock index, and is Australia's largest telecomm ...
and
Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
, during his radio show. The independent
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
TV show, ''Media Watch'', was heavily involved in exposing these practices. The
Australian Broadcasting Authority The Australian Broadcasting Authority was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radio communications and telecommunications. The Authority took over the functions of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal ...
finally decided that disclosure had to be made, hence the "Commercial Agreement Register" at the Jones portion of his station's website. (Jones was investigated along with John Laws from 2UE). In April 2004, another scandal broke after it was revealed the Chairman of the
Australian Broadcasting Authority The Australian Broadcasting Authority was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radio communications and telecommunications. The Authority took over the functions of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal ...
,
David Flint David Edward Flint (born 1938) is an Australian legal academic, known for his leadership of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy and for his tenure as head of the Australian Broadcasting Authority. Early life and education David Flint was ...
, who had headed the cash for comment inquiries, had sent a stream of admiring letters to Jones. This called into question the impartiality of Flint, and the then Federal Minister for Communications,
Daryl Williams Daryl Williams may refer to: * Daryl Williams (politician) (born 1942), Australian politician * Daryl Williams (American football) (born 1992), American football offensive tackle * Daryl Williams (rugby union) (born 1964), New Zealand-born Samoan r ...
, was embroiled in media speculation as to the future of Flint. With an inquiry imminent, Flint resigned. In an appearance on the ABC's ''
Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
'', John Laws accused Jones of placing pressure on Prime Minister
John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...
to keep Flint as head of the ABA, made comments that many viewers took to imply a sexual relationship between Jones and Flint and broadly hinted that Jones was homosexual like Flint, who is openly gay.


Cronulla riots

In December 2005, in the lead-up to the Cronulla riots, Jones used his breakfast radio program to read out and discuss a widely circulated
text message Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktop computer, des ...
that called on people to "Come to Cronulla this weekend to take revenge... get down to North Cronulla to support the Leb and wog bashing day". Media commentator David Marr accused Jones of inciting racial tensions and implicitly encouraging violence and vigilantism by the manner of his responses to callers even while he was verbally disapproving of them taking the law into their own hands. On 10 April 2007, the Australian broadcasting watchdog the
Australian Communications and Media Authority The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is an Australian government statutory authority within the Communications portfolio. ACMA was formed on 1 July 2005 with the merger of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Aus ...
(ACMA) found that the broadcaster 2GB and Jones had broadcast material (specifically comments made by Jones between 5 and 9 December 2005) that was "likely to encourage violence or brutality and to vilify people of Lebanese and Middle-Eastern backgrounds on the basis of ethnicity". During his on-air rebuttal of the ACMA findings on 10 April 2007, Jones stated that by referring to his show as "''Breakfast with Alan Jones''", the Australian Communications and Media Authority had little credibility, as his show was actually known as "''The Alan Jones Show''". However, the 2GB website prior to this broadcast clearly showed the Jones program as being "''Breakfast with Alan Jones''"; this was changed after the broadcast of Jones' rebuttal to be "''The Alan Jones Show''". David Flint again defended Jones by appearing on Jones' morning show "to support his friend and to condemn the process that found him guilty. He told 2GB listeners that the vigilante movement existed at Cronulla long before Jones began broadcasting and that the ACMA findings amounted to a classic case of shoot the messenger. He said the complaints process was flawed because, unlike the Press Council, Jones could not face or question his accusers". The NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal upheld a complaint of racial vilification against Jones and 2GB on 21 December 2009. The tribunal said:
His comments about "Lebanese males in their vast numbers" hating Australia and raping, pillaging and plundering the country, about a "national security" crisis, and about the undermining of Australian culture by "vermin" were reckless hyperbole calculated to agitate and excite his audience without providing them with much in the way of solid information.
Jones appealed the decision, but in October 2012 the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal dismissed his appeal, and upheld his conviction for inciting hatred and for vilification of Muslims. Jones apologised on-air for his remarks on 6 December 2012. However, on 12 December the Tribunal ruled that this apology was "an inadequate statement of wrongdoing" and ordered him to make another on-air apology during the week of 17 December, this time prescribing the words he was to read:


Contempt of court charges

In 2007, Jones was found guilty of breaching the ''Children's (Criminal Proceedings) Act'' 1987 (NSW), by broadcasting the suppressed name of a juvenile witness in a murder trial. The deputy chief magistrate, Helen Syme, criticised Jones for not issuing an on-air apology to the boy he had named, and said that Jones' offence was "serious". The magistrate placed Jones on a nine-month good-behaviour bond and fined him $1000. In February 2008, Jones lost an appeal against his conviction, but Jones's criminal conviction was quashed the following month. The judge presiding over the appeal, Judge Michael Finnane, said: "While it was no excuse from liability in law that Mr Jones relied on ''The Daily Telegraph'', the fact that he did, to some extent ameliorates the seriousness of the offence." The judge confirmed Jones' guilt but dismissed the charge and annulled the conviction, saying it was "an honest mistake".


Kovco comments

In October 2007, NSW State Coroner
Mary Jerram Mary Stella Jerram (born 6 November 1945) is a former State Coroner of New South Wales. Jerram was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Honorary Division in the 2018 Australia Day Honours: "For significant service to the law in ...
considered referring Jones and ''The Daily Telegraph'' to the
NSW Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court ...
for comments about the inquest into the death of Private
Jake Kovco Jacob Bruce "Jake" Kovco (25 September 1980 – 21 April 2006) was a private in the Australian Army who was killed while deployed to Iraq, fatally wounded by a single shot to the head from his own Browning 9mm sidearm. He was the first Australian ...
. Jones said that assisting counsel John Agius had tried to persuade Kovco's mother into refusing a jury inquest, comments which Jerram said could prejudice the inquest. No charges were brought against Jones.


Military trial commentary

An episode of ABC's ''Media Watch'' was devoted to Jones' pre-trial comments on the charging of three Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan. The commentators believed that if the case had already been convened, Jones' comments would have been in contempt of court. The charges against the soldiers were eventually dismissed at a pre-trial hearing.


Breach of radio standards

On 25 November 2011, the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that Jones had breached the commercial radio code of practice in his reporting of environmental issues. His reporting was found to lack accuracy and failed to allow other viewpoints to be heard. A decision on the penalty for this breach was reserved.


Climate change commentary

On 15 June 2012, the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that Jones had breached the commercial radio code of practice in his reporting of environmental issues. This related to his claim that "human beings produce 0.001 per cent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere". ACMA chairman Chris Chapman said that the watchdog was not penalising the licensee of 2GB, but was working with it to improve procedures. On 18 October 2012 ACMA ordered Jones to undergo factual accuracy training and employ a fact-checker. Jones responded to these claims on 19 October 2012 claiming that he had mistakenly claimed the 0.001 to be of all "carbon dioxide in the atmosphere" where it should have been "all gases in the atmosphere" and that he had repeated the correct and undisputed figure of 3 percent numerous times later that week and offered a correction.


COVID-19 lockdown comments

Jones was a critic of former Victorian Premier
Daniel Andrews Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian former politician who served as the 48th premier of Victoria from 2014 to 2023. He held office as the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2010 and ...
and his government. During August 2020, Jones broadcast an editorial on his Sky News show in which he opposed restrictions over COVID-19 within Victoria, claiming the science did not support stronger regulations. An investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority found Jones correctly quoted the science journal, but "misrepresented the research on the effectiveness of lockdowns" and wearing masks to restrict the spread of the virus. The Australian Communications and Media Authority made Jones issue a correction in January 2021.


Sexual assault allegations and arrest

In December 2023, a number of men accused Jones of indecent assault in an investigative report by
Kate McClymont Kathryn Anne McClymont is a journalist who writes for ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. Notable for exposing corruption in politics, trade unions, sport, and horse racing, she has received death threats because of her exposés. She has won many ...
published by ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' and ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
''; Jones "vehemently denied" the allegations. In March 2024, NSW Police's Child Abuse Squad established Strike Force Bonnefin to investigate the alleged incidents, which took place between 2001 and 2019. On the morning of 18 November, Jones was arrested at his
Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...
residence by strike force detectives. He was initially charged with twenty-four offences against eight victims over two decades, including eleven counts of aggravated indecent assault – victim under authority of offender, nine counts of assault with act of indecency, two counts of sexually touch another person without consent and two counts of common assault. The youngest of the alleged victims was 17 years old at the time of the offense. Some knew Jones personally, some knew him in a professional context, and others had only just met Jones for the first time when the alleged abuse took place. The eleven counts of aggravated indecent assault relate to a former employee of Jones. Jones was granted conditional bail, with restrictions on his travel and on making contact with his alleged victims. He faced court on 18 December 2024. On 19 November, Jones was charged with two further counts of assault with an act of indecency against a ninth alleged victim. Before his court appearance on 18 December, Jones was charged with an additional eight counts of indecent assault against a tenth alleged victim, with the former broadcaster now facing thirty-four charges in total. Jones pled not guilty to the charges. In a prepared statement to the media after his first court appearance, Jones described the allegations as "baseless... or istortions ofthe truth", claiming "I am certainly not guilty, and I'll be presenting my account to a jury". In the wake of his arrest and the charges, Australian media figures weighed in, with
Peta Credlin Peta-Louise Mary Credlin (born March 1971) is an Australian media personality and former political advisor who served as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister (Australia), Chief of Staff to Tony Abbott during his term as prime minister of Aust ...
alleging unfair treatment,
Andrew Bolt Andrew Bolt (born 26 September 1959) is an Australian conservative social and political commentator. He has worked at the News Corp-owned newspaper company The Herald and Weekly Times (HWT) for many years, for both '' The Herald'' and its succ ...
opining that "this could be one of the greatest falls from grace we have seen", and
James Packer James Douglas Packer (born 8 September 1967) is an Australian billionaire businessman and investor. Packer is the son of Kerry Packer, a media mogul, and his wife, Roslyn Packer. He is the grandson of Frank Packer. He inherited control of th ...
saying "Alan Jones is my friend and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence." Openly gay media personality
Josh Szeps Josh Szeps, previously known as Josh Zepps, (born 22 November 1977) is an Australian media personality, political satirist, and television presenter. Szeps has previously hosted ''Weekend Breakfast'' on ABC News. He was a founding host for Hu ...
, who had worked as a junior producer on Jones' radio program, claimed that Jones had made unwanted advances towards him on several occasions, including attempts at sexual touching and kissing which were routinely rebuffed by Szeps, and that Jones had promoted him to a senior producer position "implausibly fast", likening the experience to a "
casting couch The casting couch is a euphemism for the practice of soliciting sexual favors from a job applicant in exchange for employment in the entertainment industry, primarily acting roles. The practice is illegal in the United States. Predominantly mal ...
". However, Szeps defended Jones, describing him as a "fiery, poetic, operatic whirlwind of a man" and the alleged incidents as "playful" and "excessively romantic". On 7 March 2025, Jones was charged with an additional count of assault with act of indecency relating to an 11th complainant, taking his charges to a total of 35 offences.


Personal life

Jones has never been married and has no children. He resides in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. In 2003, Jones purchased a 27-hectare property in
Fitzroy Falls Fitzroy Falls (Postcodes in Australia, postcode: 2577) is a village in the Wingecarribee Shire, located within the Southern Highlands (New South Wales), Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia. The locality was known as Yarrunga, ...
for $2.3 million. It was sold by Jones in 2022. In 2017, Jones purchased an apartment in
Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...
for $10.5 million. In 2021, he bought a riverfront house in
Southport, Queensland Southport is a coastal town and the most populous suburb in the City of Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. It contains the Gold Coast central business district. In the , Southport had a population of 36,786 people. Geography Southport is ...
, for $12.25 million.


Health issues

In July 2008, Jones underwent surgery for
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...
. In December 2008, he had surgery to remove a benign brain tumour. Jones had back surgery and neck operations in November 2016 which caused him to be off-air for four months. In November 2018, Jones was hospitalised for severe back pain and again was off-air. He underwent back surgery again in November 2022.


Jonestown

'' Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones'' (
Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian ...
) is an
unauthorised biography An unauthorized biography, sometimes called a kiss-and-tell, or a tell-all, is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after t ...
of Jones by Australian journalist
Chris Masters Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently wrestling under the ring name Chris Adonis. He is a former two-time National Champion in NWA. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ri ...
. Masters began Jonestown in 2002 after profiling Jones for an episode of the current affairs program ''
Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...
''. The book won the Australian Book Industry Awards, Australian Biography of the Year 2007. It reported on Jones' term as Senior English Master at The King's School, Parramatta, and an incident in London in 1988 where he was arrested and charged for outraging public decency in London's public toilets, charges that were ultimately dropped.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Alan 1941 births Living people Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Australia national rugby union team coaches Australian agnostics Australian male stage actors Australian monarchists Australian rugby league administrators Australian rugby league coaches Australian rugby union coaches Australian schoolteachers Australian talk radio hosts Balmain Tigers coaches Conservative talk radio people Former 2GB presenters Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at Toowoomba Grammar School People from Queensland Radio personalities from Sydney Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sky News Australia reporters and presenters Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees University of Queensland alumni