Stephen Mayne

{{Short description|Australian writer, councillor, and shareholder activist}} {{distinguish|Steven May}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Stephen Mayne | image = Stephen Mayne.jpg | alt = | caption = Mayne, pictured in July 2010 | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1969|7|23}} | birth_place = [[Brisbane]], Queensland, Australia | death_date =  | death_place = | office1 = Councillor of the [[City of Manningham]] | term_start2 = 2008 | term_end2 = 2012 | term_start1 = 2020 | term_end1 = | 1blankname1 = Ward | 1namedata1 = Ruffey | 1blankname2 = Ward | 1namedata2 = Heide | office3 = Councillor of the [[City of Melbourne]] | term_start3 = 2012 | term_end3 = 2016 | party = [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] | other_party = [[Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division)|Liberal]] (1990s) <br/> [[People Power (Australia)|People Power]] (2006) | occupation = [[Journalist]];<br/>[[Shareholder activist]] | years_active = | known_for = Founder of ''[[Crikey]]'' | notable_works = }}

'''Stephen Mayne''' (born 23 July 1969) is an Australian [[journalist]], local government councillor, and self-described [[shareholder activist]]. He won the [[Walkley Award]].

==Career==

===Journalism=== Mayne worked for a number of media outlets and was a media adviser to the [[Premier of Victoria]] [[Jeff Kennett]] between 1992 and 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nofibs.com.au/2013/03/18/kerry-stokes-free-speech-defender-spare-me/|title=Kerry Stokes, free speech defender? Spare me|work=No Fibs|author=Kingston, Margo|authorlink=Margo Kingston|date=18 March 2013|accessdate=15 February 2015}}</ref> In 1997 Mayne appeared on [[ABC (Australian TV channel)|ABC TV]]'s ''[[Four Corners (Australian TV program)|Four Corners]]'' as a [[whistleblower]] about Kennett's share dealings.<ref>{{cite news |date=1997 |title=Kennett's Culture |work=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-08/kennetts-culture---1997/2844856}}</ref> In 1999 Mayne started the website ''jeffed.com'' devoted to complaints about Kennett in support of Mayne's abortive candidacy in the [[1999 Victorian state election|1999 election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icmi.com.au/stephen-mayne|title=Stephen Mayne|work=Speakers|publisher=ICMI|accessdate=15 February 2015}}</ref>

He is best known for founding ''[[Crikey]]'' in 2000, an online independent news service. The combination of gossip and anti-establishment reporting got Mayne into legal (and consequent financial) trouble several times. Despite considerable financial pressures, Mayne persisted and ''Crikey'' gradually attracted subscribers and a fair degree of notoriety. It was announced on 1 February 2005 that ''Crikey'' had been sold for A$1 million to another independent media operator, Private Media Partners.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/02/1107228736077.html|location=Melbourne|work=[[The Age]]|title=Crikey! Mayne sells for $1m|date=2 February 2005|first=Jesse|last=Hogan}}</ref><ref name="Million_reasons">{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Mayne-finds-a-million-reasons-to-sell/2005/02/02/1107228768929.html|title=Mayne finds a million reasons to sell|last=Carbone|first=Suzanne |date=3 February 2005|work=[[The Age]]|accessdate=22 August 2009|location=Melbourne}}</ref>

Mayne continues to write for ''Crikey'' and was a regular business commentator on [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC Radio]]. Mayne also regularly runs for elections to the [[board of directors]] of various Australian public companies to draw attention to issues concerning good corporate governance. He is also a trenchant critic of what he perceives as excessive conflicts of interest in corporate and political Australia.

In October 2007, Mayne launched ''The Mayne Report''{{spaced endash}}a website that is focused on shareholder activism and corporate governance issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maynereport.com/ |title=The Mayne Report |work=The Mayne Report |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref>

===Politics=== In 1999, Mayne resigned from his job at ''[[The Australian Financial Review]]'' in order to run against then [[Premier of Victoria]] [[Jeff Kennett]] as an [[Independent (politician)|independent]] protest candidate. After moving to Melbourne and making preparations for the campaign, he discovered he was unable to run because he was not enrolled, and not even entitled to be enrolled. Years later he tearfully told the ABC's ''[[Talking Heads (Australian TV series)|Talking Heads]]'' that his father disowned him at this point, telling him not to return until he had got a job.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} Mayne later ran as an independent in a subsequent [[Electoral district of Burwood|Burwood]] [[by-election]], caused by Kennett's resignation from politics after his [[1999 Victorian state election|1999 state election]] loss. Mayne attracted a primary vote of 1,975 votes (6.63%), and [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]]'s [[Bob Stensholt]] won the seat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/stateby1999resultBurwoodDistrict.html |title=Burwood District: Burwood District By-Election 1999 |publisher=Victorian Electoral Commission |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515064958/http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/stateby1999resultBurwoodDistrict.html |archive-date=15 May 2006 }}</ref>

He later came to be central to the formation of the [[People Power (Australia)|People Power]] party and became its largest financial supporter. ''[[The Age]]'' reported that he "would play a key role in recruiting, organising and funding the People Power campaign."{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} In 2001, he ran as a candidate for the [[Lord Mayor of Melbourne]], losing to [[John So]];{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} and in 2006 he ran as the lead Southern Metropolitan Upper House candidate for the People Power party. However, after a poor election showing, People Power folded amid much acrimony and Mayne resolved only to operate independently in future elections.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

At the [[2007 Australian federal election|2007 federal election]], Mayne ran as an independent for the seat of [[Division of Higgins|Higgins]] against incumbent deputy Liberal leader and treasurer [[Peter Costello]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22685004-5013945,00.html| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913021938/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22685004-5013945,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=13 September 2012|work=[[The Australian]]|title=Capital Circle|date=1 November 2007}}</ref> He received a primary vote of 1.98 percent (1,615 votes).

On 30 November 2008, Mayne was elected to the Heide Ward in the [[City of Manningham|Manningham City Council]] in Melbourne.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mackowski|first=Belinda|url=http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/manningham-council-elections/|title=Crikey! Walkley Award-winning journalist Stephen Mayne wins council spot in Manningham|work=The Leader|date=30 November 2008|access-date=14 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212032845/http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/manningham-council-elections/|archive-date=12 February 2012}}</ref> In October 2012 he was elected to [[City of Melbourne|Melbourne City Council]] where he served as chair of the Finance and Governance Committee and deputy chair of the Transport committee. He spent 3 years as deputy chair of the Planning Committee until late 2015.<ref name="asaaustralian"/>

Mayne ran as an Independent for the [[Northern Metropolitan Region]] in the [[2010 Victorian state election]], winning a primary vote of almost 1 per cent. Media reports at the time had him in with a chance to win the balance of power but he failed to pull ahead of either Family First or the Green surplus and the final spot went to Liberal Craig Ondarchie.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/vic/2010/guide/nmet-results.htm |title=Legislative Council Results: Northern Metropolitan Region|work=2010 Victorian election|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=2010|accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref>

Mayne came fourth of sixteen candidates with 4.7 per cent of the vote as an independent at the [[2012 Melbourne state by-election]]. He recommended preferences to the Greens, however Labor retained the seat with a 51.5 per cent [[Two-party-preferred vote|two-candidate preferred]] vote.

===Shareholder activism=== Mayne calls himself "Australia's most unsuccessful candidate", largely because of 48 unsuccessful tilts at public company boards since 2000. Between 2011 and 2014, Mayne worked for the [[Australian Shareholders Association]], first as a volunteer director and later as a paid consultant performing the role of spokesman and Policy and Engagement Coordinator. During this time he collectively advocated for improved corporate governance amongst publicly{{endash}}listed companies. Mayne has asked questions at more than 400 AGMs since 1998 and left the ASA to return to individual shareholder activism in September 2014.<ref name="asaaustralian">{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/activist-stephen-mayne-eyes-board-seats/story-fn3dxity-1227051765050|title=Activist Stephen Mayne eyes board seats|newspaper=[[The Australian]]|author=Chappell, Trevor|agency=[[Australian Associated Press]]|date=8 September 2014|accessdate=15 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/afrmagazine/how_corporates_are_yielding_to_people_O26UiGpHpAOzv1tNiCOZoN|title=How corporates are yielding to people power|newspaper=[[The Australian Financial Review]]|author=Smith, Michael|date=25 September 2014|accessdate=15 February 2015}}</ref>

==Walkley Awards incident== Australian journalism's most prestigious night descended into a shambles when [[Glenn Milne]] pushed Mayne off the stage at the 2006 [[Walkley Awards]].<ref name=Age>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/crikey-news-limited-journalist-makes-a-night-of-it/2006/11/30/1164777727768.html|title=Crikey! News Limited journalist makes a night of it|work=[[The Age]]|date=1 December 2006|accessdate=23 July 2007|location=Melbourne|first=Sasha|last=Shtargot}}</ref> As Mayne prepared to present an award to [[Morgan Mellish]] of ''[[The Australian Financial Review]]'',<ref name=Oz1>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20849892-25090,00.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215194207/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20849892-25090,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2012 |title=Milne's Mayne event |work=[[The Australian]] |date=1 December 2006 |access-date=20 July 2007 }}</ref> a "red-faced"<ref name=Age/> and "seemingly intoxicated"<ref name=ABC_TWT>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1802129.htm|title=Glenn Milne apologises for Walkleys outburst|work=The World Today|publisher=[[ABC Local Radio]]|location=Australia|date=1 December 2006|accessdate=20 July 2007}}</ref> Milne lurched onto the stage and began a diatribe of verbal abuse. On national television, Milne then lunged at Mayne, pushing him off the stage,<ref name=Oz1/> and screaming at Mayne that he was "a disgrace".<ref name=Age/> Milne tried to run at Mayne a second time before being restrained by security guards,<ref name=SMH_Gotchay>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2006/12/achievements_wo.html|title=Embarrassments: Gotcha! Live and dangerous|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=1 December 2006|accessdate=20 July 2007 }}</ref> who [[Frog-march|frogmarched]] the disheveled Milne out the door.<ref name=Oz1/> Mayne then gathered himself at the microphone, quipping, ''"That is the former ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|Sunday Telegraph]]'' political correspondent Glenn Milne, sponsored by [[Foster's Lager|Fosters]]."''<ref name=ABC_TWT/> Recalling the incident, where he suffered a sore ankle from the altercation,<ref name=DTG_biff>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,20854039-5006002,00.html|title=Award for best TV biff|work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|location=Australia|date=2 December 2006|accessdate=20 July 2007 }}</ref> Mayne stated:<ref name=ABC_TWT/> {{blockquote|''"I could see from his sort of wild eyes, and his red face, that he was clearly very drunk, and I thought, you know, heck, this is going to be out of control,...... And next thing I know, I'd been shoved off the stage and I was hurtling through the air, in a four-foot drop onto the floor."''|Stephen Mayne, after the 2006 [[Walkley Awards]] }}

The following day, Milne apologised for the outburst, saying he was affected by a mixture of [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and [[migraine]] pills.<ref name=NMSN>{{cite news|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=167371|title=Milne apologises for Walkley outburst|work=[[NineMSN]]|date=1 December 2006|access-date=20 July 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061202141026/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=167371|archive-date=2 December 2006}}</ref>

==Personal life== Mayne is married to lawyer Paula Piccinini, who helped him run ''Crikey'' for 5 years, and they have two daughters and a son. One of his daughters, Laura, currently serves alongside him on the Manningham City Council as councillor for Schramm Ward.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Egging |first1=Kiel |title=Manningham council: Mayor Paul McLeish dumped, Stephen and Laura Mayne elected |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/manningham-council-mayor-paul-mcleish-dumped-stephen-and-laura-mayne-elected/news-story/bec8171a27e501da59d6bb4632ef7ea2 |website=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp |access-date=9 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Brook |first1=Stephen |title=Generation Next: Political children step up to the challenge |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/generation-next-political-children-step-up-to-the-challenge-20201002-p561ip.html |website=The Age |access-date=9 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mayne |first1=Stephen |title=Hybrid AGMs, takeovers and secrecy, private equity hit list grows & much more |url=https://www.eurekareport.com.au/investment-news/hybrid-agms-takeovers-and-secrecy-private-equity-hit-list-grows-and-much-more/148918 |website=Eureka Report |access-date=9 August 2022}}</ref> His sister-in-law, [[Patricia Piccinini]], is an artist. His grandfather was the [[World War I]] veteran and [[United Kingdom|British]] centenarian [[Philip Mayne]].

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *[http://www.maynereport.com/ ''The Mayne Report''] *[http://www.crikey.com.au/ ''Crikey''] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlzDHY9CRB8 YouTube] - video of [[Walkley Awards]] scuffle with Glenn Milne (Duration 0:55) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060819103908/http://peoplepower.org.au/VictorianCandidates.htm Stephen Mayne - Candidate for Southern Metropolitan Upper House Region in November 2006 State Election for People Power]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayne, Stephen}} [[Category:Australian journalists]] [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Activists from Melbourne]] [[Category:People Power (Australia) politicians]]