John Laws state funeral: Iconic Australian broadcaster farewelled after 70-year radio career

One of Australia’s most influential and controversial broadcasters will be farewelled at a state funeral.

Talkback titan John Laws died peacefully aged 90 on November 9, after a mammoth 70-year career on radio including at Sydney station 2UE.

Tributes have flowed since his death including from many past and present politicians, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelling the broadcaster as “an iconic Australian”.

His state funeral will take place on Wednesday at Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral, with a host of prominent figures expected to be in attendance.

Along with Mr Albanese, former prime ministers Paul Keating and John Howard have spoken glowingly of Laws and his legendary career, with the former once calling him the “broadcaster of the century”.

Announcing Laws’ family had accepted the offer of a state funeral, NSW Premier Chris Minns said his career had been “extraordinary”.

“John Laws was a towering figure in Australian radio whose voice resonated across the nation for more than seven decades,” he said.

“His legacy lies not only in the thousands of hours on air, but in the connection he forged with millions of Australians.”

Laws launched his radio career in Bendigo in 1953, before he joined 2UE and worked four separate stints at the Sydney station.

He also worked for 2GB, 2UW and 2SM and had short periods at Network Ten and Foxtel.

Laws’ career was not without scandal.

He and fellow radio star Alan Jones were found to have been taking cash for favourable coverage from certain brands.

The Australian Broadcasting Authority found Laws, Jones and 2UE breached the industry code 90 times and breached their station’s licence conditions five times.

Nearly 40,000 people also demanded he undergo training in 2013 as he defended an interview in which he asked a 44-year-old victim of child sex abuse whether it was “in any way your fault”.