Impressions of Catherine Deveny at the Wheeler Centre

Catherine Deveny’s columns champion the need for social compassion and political change and target conservative politicians and institutions like Channel 9 and Rupert Murdoch’s The Herald and Weekly Times (and, even, it seems her own newspaper, The Age).

It is an attitude that has won her as many friends as enemies in the media, and her Keynote Speech at the National Editors Workshop and Skill-Share conference (which was held at Melbourne’s newly built Wheeler Centre on Little Lonsdale Street) confirmed her reputation as a political loose-cannon, even among other equally passionate, leftist commentators (she describes herself as a "a serial pest and professional pain in the arse" on The Age website).

A writer for Rove Live for five years (and a contributor to The Logies, The Aria Awards and the 2005 AFI awards, which were hosted by Russell Crowe), stand-up comedian Deveny discussed her life as a journalist - before and after having children - and her devout atheist beliefs. Importantly, she also offered advice the young people advice as to who and what to avoid in order to build a career as a journalist (following her recommendation, I am using the chores of cleaning the house, taking the dog for a walk, logging onto Facebook and cooking myself dinner as rewards for writing this piece).

Renowned for her promotion of women’s rights and her witty, bold, leftist opinions of Australian society and culture, her use of colourful words to describe the likes of Tony Abbott (she recently wrote “they were calling him old fashioned in 1372”) and her bold stories of resistance against authority inspired nervousness amongst the budding young journalists.

But, unlike other speakers who read their prepared speech and then are whisked away by PR personnel, Deveny stayed back to engage in one-on-one conversation to the young writers. In fact, she proved warm and receptive to each of the bevy of young writers vying for her attention, accepting compliments graciously and offering such warm, friendly advice it was like speaking to a favourite aunt (apparently, she is reading the very popular Eat, Pray, Love).

Deveny noted an especially confrontational encounter with Cardinal Pell. After Pell’s speech at the Sydney Opera House, Deveny was invited to ask one question on stage (she confesses she asked herself, “What would John Safran do?” before considering what she would like to say). She asked the Cardinal two questions: one to which she did not require an answer (“If God exists, then why did he make me an atheist?”) and the other concerned the whereabouts of her aborted child. Deveny told how he replied that such a “mistake” would be forgiven by God and that the soul of her child would be in heaven. Deveny replied, “But I am not asking for forgiveness and it wasn't a mistake. It was a choice.”, to which Pell responded, “Well, in that case, you will be judged.” She yelled to the audience of thousands that she would be going to hell and asked the crowd who would join her, to which she was met with a cheer.

To her credit, she was not uncomfortable responding to a similarly antagonistic audience member who took umbrage about her derogatory comments about Canberra, considering the young person’s response and bringing him to agreement that it is the men wearing black and grey suits who had death wishes.

The Wheeler Centre will hold an array of workshops, lectures, debates and readings with some of Australia’s most prominent in the literary community. Visit wheelercentre.com for more info.