Charles Wooley: Seems like everyone’s calling it quits these days

It’s certainly been a busy time for farewells, with plenty of high-profile Australians deciding to resign. But not everyone is giving work the heave-ho (or can afford to), writes Charles Wooley >>

Departing Sunrise host David Koch with co-host Natalie Barr. Koch announced his resignation from the popular morning TV show this week, above.Daily Telegraph/ Monique Harmer

How many resignations make a trend, or at least allow for sociological speculation about the way we are living now?

Especially if those resignations are high-profile.

In the Australian media one footy coach, Damien Hardwick, has to be worth thousands of disaffected teachers and nurses, who if they aren’t yet quitting are considering it, in large numbers,

Then there were more headlines this week when the man described as “the nation’s most popular premier’’ (hardly a fiercely contested position) dramatically chucked it in. Mark McGowan told a Perth press conference: “I’m not naturally confrontational, but every day I have to engage in debate and confrontation … and I’m kind of tired of it.” McGowan was emotional and tearful, as were some of his ministers.

But if you want to spot the heir apparent always look among the drier eyes. The ambitious Roger Cook was elected to the position of deputy leader of the Labor Party just 10 days after being first elected to the parliament. But he’s had to wait a long time, as a journalist mate in WA told me: “Roger was once seen as a young rooster in a hurry. He’s had to hang around much longer than he expected for the top job.”

Of course, it’s a political truism that today’s cock of the walk is tomorrow’s feather duster.

Departing Sunrise host David Koch, who announced his resignation from the popular morning TV show this week, above.

Smart pollies can see it coming, so we should always take the drama of political resignations with a grain of salt.

And always remember, it’s easier for them to quit than it is for you.

Whether it’s a McGowan or a Hodgman or a Gutwein, they usually have many years of work and an ample parliamentary pension under their belt.

Of course, state politicians are little known outside of their jurisdictions. Nationally there were more tears shed over the departure of the king of morning television, Sunrise’s David Koch, who chucked it in this week after 21 years.

Why he dominated morning television was abundantly obvious in his manner of departing it.

“When you are doing three and three-quarter hours a day of live television, you cannot pretend to be something you’re not,” he said.

In a parting swipe at some in the industry, Koch, who has a thousand other strings to his bow, including being chairman of the Port Adelaide football club, said: “Too many people on TV at the moment are trying to be something they are not.

“I’m not woke, and you can’t pretend to be woke if you’re not.

“You can’t fake who you are, because you’ll get found out.”

Meanwhile, this week one of Tasmania’s most persuasive PR spruikers, the ubiquitous Luke Martin, has quit has role at the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, to represent what its opponents like to call Big Salmon. Certainly, for Mr Martin this will be a bigger job.

And a tougher one.

Luke Martin, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive, has announced he is leaving his current role, to become the new Salmon Tasmania chief executive. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

He will become the face and the voice of the controversy-beset salmon industry in Tasmania.

A source with experience in such perilous representation told me that Luke is better known for “gusto and belligerence” (in his support of the stadium) than he might ever be for pouring fish oil on troubled waters.

I was told: “The industry needs a great negotiator, a calm voice of science and reason who can at the same time hold the multi-nationals to account.”

If Luke fits that bill, I am assured that working stormy waters for the biggest protein producers in the world will come with a much larger pay cheque than the relatively small-fry Tasmanian tourist industry.

However it works out (if I might modify Neil Armstrong’s famous words), Luke’s remuneration should be a “small step for humanity but one giant leap for a man”.

And perhaps for salmon.

It’s relatively new, this business of the wholesale throwing in of towels. Overseas it has even been styled as the “great resignation’’.

In 2021-22 during the pandemic, large numbers of people in Europe and America quit their jobs. In Australia that didn’t happen. The resignation trend continued as normal, although post-Covid many Australians who had been working from home were disinclined to return to the office.

Now there are suggestions that since the pandemic, across the whole working demographic, Australians are in poorer physical and mental health. According to a University of Melbourne survey: “Workers between 25 and 55 are reporting the greatest burnout.”

They want to work from home. Apparently 75 per cent of workers under the age of 54 reported “that a lack of flexible options in their workplace would motivate them to leave or look for another job”.

But enough of dry university studies.

Not everyone is giving work the heave-ho. Most of us can’t afford to.

The eloquent and richly talented Tasmanian journalist Simon Bevilacqua

And some, like a couple of temporarily resting journos I might mention, are swimming against the current, again like salmon, going back to where they began.

The good news is that my friend and colleague, the talented Simon Bevilacqua, returned to the Mercury this week with an opinion piece so unpopular among his usual artsy crowd he might have to seek out the aforementioned Luke Martin as his only drinking mate.

In praise of the Macquarie Point colosseum, he invoked us to “use it as a chance to participate in the design of something our grandchildren and those after them will be proud”.

Likewise, I went back into the fray last week with a television program on Channel 7, arguing for the preservation of that glorious wild patch of rainforest, rivers and endless beaches on our West Coast and known as the Tarkine.

I always love Bevilacqua’s words (I’ve also had the privilege of seeing some of his latest writings, an epic poetic work, which from what I’ve seen is excellent), even on this rare occasion when I disagree with them.

Building the colosseum or saving the Tarkine.

Two old journos, bucking the trend and going back to work. Surely one of them is backing a winner.

I only hope it’s me.

Charles Wooley is a Tasmanian-based journalist.