Link to Media Release: http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=17918 

Broadcaster, filmmaker, author, archaeologist, controversialist, social commentator and satirist, Phillip Adams was elected one of Australia’s 100 National Living Treasures in the inaugural poll conducted by The National Trust. In October 2006 a poll conducted by Professor Richard Nyall of Curtin University among 200 senior academics to define ‘the top forty most influential Australian intellectuals’ had Adams equal third with Noel Pearson.

Writing in The Monthly, Robert Manne says Adams is: ‘The most remarkable broadcaster in the history of this country.’

For almost 50 years his columns in major newspapers and magazines have provoked discussion and outrage. He is the author of over 20 books that have sold over a million copies, including The Unspeakable Adams, Adams Versus God, The Penguin Book of Australian Jokes, Retreat from Tolerance, Talkback, A Billion Voices and Adams Ark. His most recent book, Adams Versus God: The Rematch was published in 2007 by Melbourne University Press.

Billed as the ‘godfather of the Australian film industry’, Adams’ many features include The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, Don’s Party, The Getting of Wisdom, Lonely Hearts and We of the Never Never. His television programs include two series of The Big Questions with Professor Paul Davies and Death and Destiny, filmed in Egypt with Paul Cox.

As a consultant to prime ministers and premiers, Adams played a key role in the establishment of the Australia Council, the Australian Film Development Corporation, the Australian Film Commission, the South Australian Film Corporation and the Australian Film Finance Corporation.

Adams is currently Chairman of the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney and the Australian National University in Canberra. His scores of board memberships have included Greenpeace, CARE Australia, The National Museum of Australia, Adelaide’s Festival of Ideas and Brisbane’s Ideas Festival.

As a broadcaster, Adams has interviewed over 15,000 of the world’s most prominent politicians, philosophers, economists, scientists, theologians, historians, archaeologists, novelists and scholars. His radio program, ‘Late Night Live’ is broadcast twice a day over the 250-station network of ABC’s Radio National and around the world on Radio Australia and the World Wide Web. Late Night Live is Australia’s most successful ‘podcast’ program, both in Australia and around the world. In 2007 there were 13 million downloads.

Honours awarded to Adams include two Orders of Australia, the Senior ANZAC Fellowship, the Australian Humanist of the Year, the Republican of the Year 2005, the Golden Lion at Cannes, the Longford Award (the highest award of the Australian film industry), a Walkley award, a UN Media prize, four Honorary Doctorates and the Responsibility in Journalism Award at New York University. In 2006 he received the Human Rights Medal from the Australian Government’s Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission.

Adams has two weekly columns in The Australian newspaper.