2004: Passion for politics

Views: 1,770 views. Comments: No Comment.
Tags: journalism and communication, summer-2011

Simon Cullen, Bachelor of Journalism

Simon Cullen

Journalism alumnus Simon Cullen has always been interested in politics.

Following graduation, Mr Cullen began his career as a casual reporter at ABC’s Brisbane office.

From there, he began his reporting crusade up and down the east coast of Australia, making a two-year stop in Bundaberg and spending time in Tasmania following state politics.

However, in 2009 Mr Cullen secured a full-time job reporting from the ABC’s Canberra Parliament House bureau and couldn’t be happier.

Since then, he has covered everything from carbon pricing, to health reform, and foreign affairs.

“I get to spend a lot of time with federal politicians and their staff, which can be a privilege and it’s how we get a lot of our stories,” Mr Cullen said.

“It’s exciting to be at the heart of where big decisions are made.”

By covering Australian politics, Mr Cullen views his role as a crucial public service – being able to report on policy, ethics, and questionable behaviour.

“Journalism is an important part of government accountability,” he said.

“We ask the questions on behalf of members of the public who don’t get the opportunity to do so.”

Another key part of his job is sifting actual policy from political spin.

“The best part about this job is being given access to people I otherwise wouldn’t be able to speak with,” he said.

Mr Cullen said Malcolm Turnbull’s downfall as the Federal Liberal leader and Kevin Rudd’s removal from Prime Minister were two of the most exciting events he had covered to date.

“The 2010 election campaign was a great opportunity to travel, criss-crossing the country and filing hourly reports for ABC Radio on what the leaders were talking about,” he said.

To sustain the constant demand for information, Mr Cullen has embraced the rise of multi-media reporting.

“It used to be the case that stories were first aired on the radio. Now they go online as soon as possible because the next radio bulletin could be 50 minutes away. It’s really changed the way we work,” Mr Cullen said.

To those interested in covering politics, Mr Cullen suggests starting out in regional areas.

“If I wasn’t reporting on political news, I’d like to cover issues that affect people living outside the big cities,” he said.

By Allison Rock

• Home
• Graduate Contact
• Alumni Profiles
• Global Education: Divining world trends