Derryn Hinch
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Derryn Nigel Hinch (born 9 February 1944) is a New Zealand-born media personality, politician, actor, journalist and published author. He is best known for his career in Australia, on
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
radio and television. He served as a
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
for Victoria from 2016 to 2019. Hinch was elected to the Senate representing Victoria as the head of Derryn Hinch's Justice Party at the 2016 federal election. Aged 72 at the time, Hinch was, when elected, the oldest federal parliamentarian ever to be elected for the first time.Australia's 45th Parliament: Meet the record breakers: ABC 31 August 2016
/ref> He lost his senate seat in the 2019 election. He remained host of his weekly program '' Hinch Live'' until the election campaign period officially commenced, in a decision supported by Sky News Live. He has been the host of 3AW's ''Drive'' radio show, and a National Public Affairs commentator for the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
on '' Sunday Night'', '' Today Tonight'' and ''
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
''. Hinch has been convicted 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 ...
three times, serving two prison sentences and one sentence of house detention.


Career


Print

Hinch began his career at the age of 15 with the '' Taranaki Herald'' in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1960. In 1963, he came to Australia on the MS ''Wanganella'' and joined ''The Sun'' in Sydney. By 1966, he had become a foreign
correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
for the Fairfax organisation, and in New York became bureau chief in 1972. He lived in New York for 11 years. Hinch returned to Sydney and was editor of ''The Sun'' in 1976–1977.


Television

Hinch hosted ''
Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
'' on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
between 1982 and 1983. From 1987 to 1991, Hinch hosted his own current affairs show on the Seven Network titled ''Hinch'', which later moved to
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 ...
where it ran from 1992 to 1994. In 1994, Hinch joined 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 ...
and hosted '' The Midday Show'' for a year. He has also appeared on ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'', '' Underbelly'' and '' Millionaire Hot Seat'' as a guest playing for charity. In September 2012, Hinch rejoined the Seven Network as national public affairs commentator, though there were rumours that ''Hinch'' might make a comeback (although this never eventuated). From February 2015, Hinch hosted a twice weekly news opinion program, ''Hinch Live'', over the weekend 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 ...
. *''Hinch'',
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
1987–1991, then 1992–1994,
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 ...
*''
Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
'', Seven Network (1982–1983) *'' The Midday Show'',
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 ...
(1994) *''Mars Venus'',
Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
(2003) *''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'', Seven Network (2005) *'' Underbelly'', Nine Network (2008) *''
Seven News Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...
'', ''
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
'' & '' Sunday Night'' National Public Affairs Commentator, Seven Network (2012–) *'' Hinch Live'',
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 ...
(2015–2016)


Radio

In 1978, Hinch had a morning program on
3XY Magic 1278 (official List of radio station callsigns in Victoria, callsign: 3EE) is a commercial radio station in Melbourne, Australia owned by Nine Entertainment, and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. History 1935–1991: 3XY 1935 ...
. In 1979, Hinch moved to 3AW, hosting a successful morning program for eight years. In 1987, he left radio to host ''Hinch At Seven'' on television. During the 1990s, he had a brief stint presenting talkback on Adelaide station 5DN, before returning to 3AW in 2000 to host ''Nightline''. In 2001, he began a two-year stint at 3AK before returning to 3AW to host the drive-time program in 2003. He was often absent from the programs due to suspension, poor health and house arrest. In August 2012, it was announced that Hinch's contract would not be renewed by 3AW, and he would be replaced by financial commentator
Tom Elliott Thomas or Tom Elliott may refer to: * Thomas Elliott (footballer) (1890–?), English footballer * Thomas Elliott (Australian cricketer) (1879–1939), Australian cricketer * Thomas Elliott (New Zealand cricketer) (1867–?), New Zealand cricketer ...
. He is the Melbourne correspondent for New Zealand radio network Newstalk ZB and often presents political commentaries on the station. In 2010 he was inducted into the Australian Commercial Radio Hall of Fame.


Acting

In September 2008, Hinch had a four-week run as The Criminologist (narrator) in the Australian tour of ''
The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...
.'' He also appeared as himself, in a minor role, in the 2000 film '' The Wog Boy'' with Nick Giannopoulos, and reprised the role in its 2022 sequel, '' Wog Boys Forever''. Hinch also made cameo appearances on '' Fast Forward'', which was the same sketch show where he was parodied as ''Hunch'', played by Steve Vizard. Hinch played the role of Senator in 2016 movie The Colour of Darkness.


Politics

In 2015, Hinch established Derryn Hinch's Justice Party, and was subsequently elected to the
Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives. The powers, role and composition of the Senate are set out in Chap ...
as senator for Victoria at the 2016 double dissolution election on 2 July 2016. At the age of 73, he became the oldest new member ever elected to the Australian parliament. His party's main emphasis is on criminal justice reform, including tougher sentences for violent and sexual offenders, no bail for those accused of a serious violent offence, parole reform, and a public register of sex offenders. Other positions include equal rights for all citizens regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation, tougher laws against animal cruelty, and support for voluntary euthanasia. Following the announcement of the 2016 Senate election results, other Senators negotiated, against Hinch's objections, to allocate him a three-year rather than a six-year Senate term. In August 2017, it was revealed that Hinch holds an American
Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
number, raising concerns during the dual citizenship crisis that he may be disqualified from office under Section 44 of the
Constitution of Australia The Constitution of Australia (also known as the Commonwealth Constitution) is the fundamental law that governs the political structure of Australia. It is a written constitution, which establishes the country as a Federation of Australia, ...
. However, in September 2017, the Attorney-General made the decision not to refer him to the High Court. Hinch has shown support for
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
. In the 2019 elections, Hinch's bid for re-election to the Senate was unsuccessful. As a result, Hinch's party is not represented in the Australian federal parliament but retains two seats in the Victorian Legislative Council. Hinch most recently contested the
2022 Victorian state election The 2022 Victorian state election was held on Saturday, 26 November 2022 to elect the 60th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Victorian Legislat ...
for the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region but was unsuccessful. Hinch opposes the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. In February 2024, Hinch announced


Controversies


Michael Glennon

In 1985, Hinch reported that Michael Glennon, who had previously been convicted of indecent assault against a minor, was operating a youth camp while facing new charges. Hinch, who says he was concerned that parents were unknowingly sending their children to Glennon's camp, first appealed privately to then Victorian Premier John Cain and the then-
Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
, as well as the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia, but in Hinch's words, they "washed their hands" of the situation. Subsequently, Hinch publicly identified Glennon during his trial on the third set of charges, in spite of the strong
sub judice In law, ''sub judice'', Latin for "under a judge", means that a particular case or matter is under trial or being considered by a judge or court. The term may be used synonymously with "the present case" or "the case at bar" by some lawyers. I ...
rule under Australian jurisprudence. This delayed the trial while Hinch was tried on
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 ...
charges; Hinch was fined $10,000 and imprisoned for twelve days. This was the first time anyone had gone to prison on a
prior restraint Prior restraint (also referred to as prior censorship or pre-publication censorship) is censorship imposed, usually by a government or institution, on expression, that prohibits particular instances of expression. It is in contrast to censorship ...
issue in Australia. Hinch appealed his case as far as the
High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...
, which affirmed his conviction. In its ruling, the Court held that despite Hinch's motivation of warning the public that Glennon continued to hold a position in a youth organisation, it was sufficient to inform them of the current charges against him, and that the information about his prior conviction was prejudicial under Australian law. Hinch called the incident "the thing I'm most proud of in my life."


Mick Gatto's call

On 24 June 2008, while Hinch was discussing the celebrity status of underworld crime figures during his drive program, Mick Gatto phoned in and had a brief confrontation with Hinch, ending with a death threat.


John Laws

On 30 July 2007,
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 ...
and Hinch attended the ''40 Years of Radio Legends'', after which Hinch complained the "event had been turned into a tribute to Laws", among other comments which caused ill feeling between the two. On 5 December 2007, Hinch was abused verbally with obscenities by John Laws while dining at lunch with 2CH personality Bob Rogers in a restaurant at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, Sydney.


Sexual relationship with teenager

In his 2004 book ''The Fall and Rise of Derryn Hinch'', and in a radio editorial in March 2005, Hinch admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old female when he was in his early thirties, although he stated he "thought she was about 25". Following his on-air admission, ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' journalist Andrew Bolt called for his prosecution. In 2013, Hinch wrote that after 30 years, the woman had contacted him and said he was wrong about her age. She said she was born in 1961 and they met shortly after he joined 3AW in 1979. That made her 17 at the time of the liaison (which is above the age of consent in Australia).


Criminal convictions


1987 conviction and imprisonment

Hinch served 12 days in prison and was fined 15,000 in 1987 for
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 he publicly revealed paedophile Roman Catholic priest Michael Charles Glennon's prior conviction while a trial was still pending.


2011 conviction and home detention

In June 2011, he was convicted of breaching suppression orders against the names of two
sex offender A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a Sex and the law, sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convi ...
s, and was subsequently sentenced to five months'
home detention House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays Electronic tagging, electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The p ...
.


2014 conviction and imprisonment

In October 2013, Hinch was found guilty of contempt of court for breaching a suppression order by revealing details of the criminal history of Jill Meagher's killer, Adrian Ernest Bayley. The judge gave Hinch 90 days to pay the fine, or else face 50 days in prison. On 16 January 2014, one day prior to the expiration of the 90-day period, Hinch advised that he would not pay the fine 'on principle'. He was imprisoned on 17 January 2014. On 7 March 2014, he was released from prison after 50 days, having served his full sentence. He was greeted by his partner Natasha Chadwick, other friends and a substantial media contingent.


Personal life

Hinch has been married five times. His first marriage was to Lana Wells, an editor. His second marriage was to Eve Carpenter, a flight attendant. He then married Australian actress
Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film, and television actress. Her accolades include five AACTA Awards (including the Longford Lyell Award) and a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations ...
. They were married in 1983 and remained so for 13 years before divorcing in 1996. It has been widely reported that they remarried in 1997 before divorcing again in 1998, however Weaver has denied that any such second marriage ever took place. He married Chanel Hayton in February 2006 and they separated in late 2012. His most recent publicised relationship was with Natasha Chadwick, a former detective sergeant with
NSW Police The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...
and freelance journalist. In March 2017, Hinch told the ''
New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand ...
'' that he had been molested by a brother of one of his father's friends as a nine-year-old boy in his childhood home in New Plymouth in 1953. Hinch identifies as an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
.


Health

In 2006, Hinch lost weight and his health declined. On 4 March 2007, he revealed on ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...
'' he had been suffering from advanced
cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...
of the liver, and that a tumour had been found on his liver. On 27 April 2007, Hinch returned to hospital for additional scans. On 4 August 2007, Hinch revealed he had inoperable
liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...
. On 20 September 2010, Hinch confirmed the liver cancer diagnosis, and said that he expected to undergo surgery to remove a third of his liver, and that this would take him off-air for several weeks. Doctors gave him a 60 per cent chance of surviving a further five years. On 4 November 2010, Hinch told his listeners that his doctors had told him that without a
liver transplant Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a Liver disease, diseased liver with the healthy liver from another person (allograft). Liver transplantation is a treatment option for Cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and ...
, his maximum survival would be 12 months. On 6 July 2011, Hinch underwent liver transplant surgery at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne.


Published works

*''The Scrabble Book'' (1972, rev. ed. 1977), *''Death at Newport'' (1986), *''AIDS – Most of the Questions, Some of the Answers'' (1987), *''Death in Paradise'' (1989), *''The Derryn Hinch Diet'' (1991), *''That's Life'' (1992), *''The Ultimate Guide to Winning Scrabble'' (2001), *''101 Ways To Lose Your Mobile Phone'' (2001), *''The Fall and Rise of Derryn Hinch: How I Hit the Wall and Didn't Bleed'' (2004), *''You are So Beautiful – The Passion and the Pain of Relationships'' (2006), *''I Beat the Booze and You Can Too'' (2009) *''Human Headlines: My 50 Years in the Media'' (2010) *''A Human Deadline – A Story of Life, Death, Hope and House Arrest'' (2012) *''Hinch vs Canberra: Behind the Human Headlines'' (2017) *''Unfinished Business: Life of a Senator'' (2020)


References


External links


Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Derryn Hinch on TheyVoteForYou.org.au

humanheadline.com.auOfficial Derryn Hinch web site

justiceparty.com.auOfficial Derryn Hinch's Justice Party web site

Official Hinch Twitter account
* * * *


Official Derryn Hinch old web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinch, Derryn 1944 births 21st-century Australian politicians 3AW presenters Australian atheists Australian expatriate male actors in the United States Australian newspaper editors Australian radio presenters Australian reporters and correspondents Australian Scrabble players Australian talk radio hosts Journalists from Melbourne Living people Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria Members of the Australian Senate Naturalised citizens of Australia New Zealand atheists New Zealand emigrants to Australia New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand expatriate male actors in the United States New Zealand radio presenters New Zealand television presenters Newstalk ZB Liver transplant recipients People from New Plymouth Radio personalities from Melbourne Shock jocks Sky News Australia reporters and presenters People who lost New Zealand citizenship Derryn Hinch's Justice Party members of the Parliament of Australia People educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School Australian political party founders