Michael Pascoe

Michael was born and educated in Queensland, a product of Nudgee College with a corresponding dedication to rugby union, and Queensland University majors in journalism and language in the media. He began his career as a cadet journalist with The Courier-Mail at a time when the only way into the pool was via the deep end. Within weeks of starting in 1973, he was doing next-of-kin “death knocks” after the Whiskey Au Go Go fire bombing – as good a preparation as any for dealing with politicians and captains of industry.

In 1976 he joined the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong – “the closest you could get to China in those days” – and part of a life-long interest and belief in China’s importance. As well as the SCMP, he edited a computer magazine and wrote a weekly satire column.

Returning to Australia in late 1979, Pascoe was hired by the Australian Financial Review in Sydney and subsequently pioneered specialist finance journalism in commercial broadcasting – first with the Macquarie Radio network in 1982, then with Channel 9, Sky News and Channel 7.

Before being controversially “boned” in 2003, Pascoe was Channel 9’s finance editor for nearly 18 years, the face of business news on the Today Show and playing a leading role in revolutionising finance reporting. With the direct backing of Kerry Packer – and a half-a-shoe-string budget – he conceived, produced and presented Business Today, the first daily finance program on Australian television and possibly on mainstream free-to-air commercial television anywhere. In 1986 he became the founding finance editor for the respected Business Sunday program and its lead interviewer. Between the two programs, Pascoe conducted thousands of interviews ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to the Australian and international heavy weights – Jack Welsh, Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch, Kerry Packer, Robert Holmes a’ Court, the CEOs of just about every major Australian company and the key politicians in economic portfolios and shadow ministries. His in-depth reports for Business Sunday displayed his versatility – from the rationalisation of Australian agriculture and the financial aftermath of September 11 in New York to the Irish pub phenomenon and organic beef marketing.

Pascoe became one of the Channel 9 alumni at Channel 7, co-host with David Koch of the Sky Business Report for a time, finance columnist for Yahoo7, a regular writer for Crikey.com.au and the founding Sydney interviewer for Alan Kohler’s Eureka Report.

From 2008 to 2018, he was Contributing Editor for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Since then, he’s had the same title at The New Daily – a rising force in free, on-line journalism – a position that accommodates his public speaking and conference workload.

“The keynotes and conferences are a chance to tell the important stories at greater depth than possible in daily journalism,” Pascoe says. “Most importantly, there’s the time to put events and news into perspective, to demonstrate that much of the political and media noise is misleading.

“I have a fundamental outlook of optimistic scepticism. Speaking with people, there’s the chance to share that, to balance the usual preponderance of ‘bad’ news, as well as the pleasure and humour of good communication. I’ve had a particularly blessed career that enables me to do that. The only problem is, I still don’t know what I’ll do when I grow up.”

“Your insights and opinions, complemented by your humour, greatly contributed to the overall panel discussion, engaging and enlightening the audience during the presentations and Q&A that followed.”
David McCredie, CEO – Australian British Chamber of Commerce

We have been holding Breakfast of Champions for several years now with many very accomplished individuals, however, I can definitely say Michael gave one of the most inspiring and educational speeches to date.
Chad Walker – Walker Corporation

The feedback from your keynote presentation was tremendous – informative and entertaining!
Peter Shelley – Australian Tourism Export Council

We’ve received great feedback on the event! Thank you for everything, you where fantastic to work with and we needed someone of your experience and professionalism.
Danielle Molyneaux – Steadfast

Keeping Perspective
Michael Pascoe is one of Australia’s most experienced and thoughtful finance and economics commentators with more than four decades in newspaper, broadcast and on-line journalism, covering the full gamut of economic and business issues, as well as occasionally straying into more whimsical matters of the human condition.

A regular commentator on Australian television and radio, Pascoe is now contributing editor for The New Daily and a highly-regarded conference speaker and facilitator.

Despite being a reporter of the “dismal science”, he maintains a sense of humour and the ability to speak and write entertainingly about the state of the nation and world. “I’ve sat through too many boring economics and business presentations to think anyone else should have to,” he says.

Increasingly, Pascoe’s body of work represents a fight for keeping perspective amidst the noise and haste of a news cycle with a painfully short attention span and sometimes dubious motives.

“There’s more data but less information, more opinion but less thought,” he says. “The low ebb of Australian politics has reduced debate to three-word chants and name calling. Both sides of politics have put the pursuit of power ahead of the best interests of the nation, ahead of being honest with the electorate. It’s never been more important to look through the headlines and political prejudices to find the facts.”