Antony Green - Retirement from the ABC, Statement by PJ Keating, 3 May 2025
Antony Green - Retirement from the ABC
Statement by PJ Keating
I offer a congratulatory note to Antony Green for a 30-odd year thoughtful and earnest contribution in deciphering shifts in elements of the Australian polity – providing a welcome reasoning for what was otherwise, for most, a jumble of claims and events, devoid of order.
By dint of study, of understanding and of analysis, Antony Green put himself and the ABC in a position of knowledge from which authority and judgment as to emerging electoral outcomes could be both interpreted and declared.
He began his illustrious 30-year stretch covering the evening of my victory over the Liberal party at the election of 13 March 1993.
I like to think I gave him a kick start. In what many thought would be a line ball outcome, I had in fact, managed to bring Labor’s primary vote up six percentage points, to 45%, from the 1990 outcome, the largest increased primary vote of any incumbent government since 1901.
So by early in the evening, Antony tells us ‘by 8.40pm’, he was able to declare the government’s return with a ‘90 majority’. And has since said, ‘this sort of made me quite famous’.
All I can say is, I am glad it did. And the doing of it gave Antony the authority within the ABC to construct models which brought accuracy and insight to the lucky dip nature of election night declarations and forecasting – changing the game forever.
Antony Green has much to be proud of after an exceptionally long innings. And I wish him well in whichever way he chooses to employ his talent in the future.
P J Keating
3 May 2025
03052025antonygreenretirementstatement.pdf