Freelance Journalist - Media Consultant

A former Senior Adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating, John Miner's first full-time job was sticking brand labels on newly lathed wooden tool handles at Hely Bros in Newcastle, Australia.

Graduating in English and Legal Studies from Sydney University in 1977, he worked in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Newcastle as a journalist on The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian for a decade.

John was a press secretary in the Premier's Office in both NSW and Victoria, and Director of Public Relations at the University of Newcastle before moving to Canberra as the Prime Minister's Media Adviser in 1992. In 1994, he became Senior Adviser, specialising in speechwriting and political research.

Returning to Newcastle in 1996 John initiated five rivers pty ltd as a consultancy in public affairs.

He completed a Master's in English at the University of New England in 1997, and a Level III Certificate in Financial Markets from the Securities Institute of Australia in 1998.

(e-mail) [email protected]