Andrew Moore

Mr Big of Bankstown: the Scandalous Fitzpatrick and Browne Affair Andrew Moore

In 1955, Raymond Fitzpatrick - a rough-hewn, ill-educated, Sydney businessman known in the media as 'Mr. Big of Bankstown' - and Frank Browne - a journalist with a bent for verbal attacks on politicians - joined forces to teach a troublesome Member of Parliament, Charles Morgan, a lesson that Morgan wouldn't forget. Fitzpatrick and Browne published an article that insinuated Morgan was implicated in an immigration racket. However, it was Fitzpatrick and Browne who ended up learning a lesson when Morgan responded by raising this issue in Parliament under the Privileges Act. Colorful personalities, personal animosities, and the self-interest of several individuals intersect and collide in this true story about two individuals who were imprisoned on a vote of the Commonwealth House of Representatives. Set in the iconic Australian era of the 1950s, while the Cold War simmered, this history features knockabout types in a public scandal. The Australian Law Journal described the case as "one of the most significant constitutional law cases of the 20th century in Australia." With corruption, violence, and bribery - mixed with a healthy dose of comical charm - Mr. Big of Bankstown has it all.