Robert Milliken further papers

MLMSS 12222

fonds

1972-2022

Textual Records, Clippings, Graphic Materials, Photographs

9682315

1.28 metres of textual material (8 boxes)

Robert Milliken, born in 1946 in Wingham, New South Wales, was an Australian journalist and author. Throughout his career, which spanned over 50 years, he wrote for influential publications both in Australia and internationally. Milliken began his career at the Sydney Morning Herald, covering events such as the Yom Kippur War and civil conflicts in Beirut and Northern Ireland. He later contributed to the National Times, The Independent, and The Economist, where he focused on social issues, including Aboriginal rights and environmental controversies. Milliken also wrote several books, including a biography of Lillian Roxon. He passed away from cancer in 2023.

References:

Library acquisition file

McDonald, Hamish, and Max Suich. “A journalist’s journalist who was obsessive about the truth.” Sydney Morning Herald. Accessed 25 October 2024.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-journalist-s-journalist-who-was-obsessive-about-the-truth-20230609-p5dfdm.html

BOX 1

Research material compiled by Robert Milliken for an intended publication on the Sydney Ducks, a 19th century San Francisco gang formed by criminal immigrants from Australia). Mainly includes photocopies, printouts, and notes.

Folder 1: Sydney Ducks – California/San Francisco, 2013-2015

Folder 2: San Francisco Public Library 2014

Folder 3: Sydney Ducks, Research San Francisco, October 2015 and 2013

Folder 4: Sydney Ducks, Research Bancroft Library, Berkeley, October 2015

Folder 5: California Historical Society, San Francisco, 2018

Folder 6: Huntington Library, California 2018

Folder 7:
- Society of California Pioneers 2018
- San Francisco Public Library 2018

Folder 8:
- British Library 2018
- Sydney Ducks, Australian Press etc.


BOX 2

FOLDERS 1-3: Research material for an intended publication on the Sydney Ducks, a 19th century gang in San Francisco formed by criminal immigrants from Australia. Mainly includes photocopies, printouts, and notes.

Folder 1:
- Australia – California, Silicon Valley 2018
- Books – notes, historians – notes, Mitchell Library
- Sydney Ducks, Tasmania research 2019

Folder 2:
- Sydney Ducks
- NSW State Library + Mitchell Library

Folder 3:
- Sydney Ducks: intro plan; Library/Trove notes
Includes a draft introduction and chapter outlines.

FOLDERS 4-6: Subject files with research material for articles written by Robert Milliken, including for The Economist and Inside Story. Contains notes, clippings, photocopies and printouts of articles and reports, as well as email correspondence.

Folder 4:
- Packer – Costigan, Sydney – crime, Juanita Nielsen
- Winchester
- Fiji 1987 coups
- Papua New Guinea/Solomon Islands

Folder 5:
- Australian obituaries – The Independent
- Eastern Europe 1991
- Perth – Margaret River 1992
- Norfolk Island 2004

Folder 6:
- Aboriginal Art 2004
- Macquarie Bank/Allan Moss interview 2005


BOXES 3-7:
Subject files with research material for articles written by Robert Milliken, including for The Economist and Inside Story. Contains notes, clippings, photocopies and printouts of articles and reports, as well as email correspondence. Approximately 2005-2022.


BOX 3

Folder 1:
- Tasmania 2005
- Broome Western Australia 2006
- Flinders Ranges, South Australia 2006
- Kakadu National Park 2006
- Kenya 2006

Folder 2:
- Varuna, Eleanor Dark Foundation
- Sydney: Food history/The Rocks
- Western Australia: Rio Tinto/Hancock Prospecting 2008
- Western Australia: Mining Boom 2008
- Aboriginal Affairs - Mabo, Wik, Canada

Folder 3:
- Murray River 1
- Water: Murray River 2

Folder 4:
- Terrorism laws 09/10-
- Northern Territory Intervention 2010
- Toorale Station – Farming – Climate change 2010
- Climate change/Gillard Government 2010-

Folder 5:
- Brisbane 2014, Cairns/Brisbane 2011
- Australia – US 2011-

Folder 6:
- Guangzhou 2012
- Population/Immigration
- Bellwether Australia 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013/Economist Climate Conferences/Economist Australia-Asia Conferences 2016, 2017
- Packer/Fairfax – Rinehart
- Crime/prisons/drugs war 2013/gambling
- Flag 2013-


BOX 4

Folder 1:
- Pain Australia 2013
- Gay marriage/Catholic Church/Anne Summers Reports

Folder 2:
- Vietnam 2014
- Adelaide – Darwin Rail 2014
- Peter Sculthorpe 2014
- Australia – Think Tanks 2014

Folder 3:
- Sydney Opera House + Opera Australia 2014-
- Australia – India/uranium/nuclear

Folder 4:
- Sharks
- Aust. Muslims: ABC Fact File
- Sydney: Barangaroo

Folders 5-6:
Inside Story 2015/Justice Reinvestment Bourke 2018


BOX 5

Folder 1:
- Citizenship laws, terrorism laws 2015 + 2017
- Foreign investment 2015-
- UNESCO Great Barrier Reef 2015-
- Tasmania 2015/16 - Australia forests

Folder 2:
- Australia – politics/economy/Eslake, Moran, Marsh
- Turnbull – innovation + interviews, 2016
- Australia – New Zealand 2016
- US Presidential Election 2016/era themes

Folder 3:
- Boat people – Immigration 1
- Boat people – Immigration 2

Folder 4:
- Australia – Indonesia
- Victoria – Euthanasia 2017
- House prices 2017
- Plain packaging, Inside Story 2017
- Asia/Pacific/Trump 2017; Australia/US/China

Folder 5:
- China – Australia
- Adani – Mackay 2017
- Boom/bust economy 2017
- Dual citizenship 2017-


BOX 6

Folder 1:
- National energy 2017 (1) – gas, coal, South Australia
- National energy (3), LNG 2017-

Folder 2:
- ABS – 2017 Referendum Plans (1); Uluru Statement

Folder 3:
- ABS – Referendum (2) 2011-2020-

Folder 4:
- “The World in…”, The Economist 2003-2018
- Malcolm Turnbull speeches 2011-2018

Folder 5:
- Economist – Australia Special Report 2018
- South Australia 2018 (1)
- South Australia 2018- (2) – Whyalla
- Australia Economy 2018-
- Sanjeev Gupta/GFC Alliance 2018-/South Australia nuclear

Folder 6:
- Kangaroos and drought 2019
- Writing seminar 2019
- Dubbo – Booming regions 2019
- Dubbo (2) – William Ferguson – Aboriginal activist 2019
- Albanese/Labor/Penny Wong/Rudd/Keating
- Foreign Policy + China 2019-
- Australia fires 2019/20


BOX 7

Folder 1:
- Palace letters; Jenny Hocking - Kerr 2020
- Custody Notification Service 2020
- East Timor/Gas/Witness K case
- Australia – Japan

Folder 2:
- Moree – 2021

Folders 3-4:
- Pacific Solution 2021 – 20th anniversary

Folder 5:
- Inside Story – Hughes Electorate Battle 2022 – Craig Kelly
- Australia Republic
 

BOX 8

FOLDERS 1-5: Clippings, printouts and photocopies of articles written by Robert Milliken, including for The Economist, Sydney Morning Herald and Inside Story. Approximately 1972-2021.

Folder 1: Pacific News Service and other writing, approximately 1972-1981
Includes articles written by Robert Milliken for Pacific News Service, correspondence and writings relating to Russia and Israel visits.

Folder 2: The Economist articles by Robert Milliken, 1994-2019
- Print stories, 1994-2005
- Australia – Timor-Leste, 1999-2016
- Aboriginal recognition, 2000-2019
- Boat refugees, 2001-2017
- Australian election, 2007

Folder 3: The Economist articles by Robert Milliken: Australia, 2007-2020

Folder 4: The Economist articles by Robert Milliken, 2008-2019
- Australia water: Murray-Darling Basin, 2008-2010
- Climate change: Rudd – Gillard Governments, 2008-2011
- Australia energy: coal, gas projects, iron ore and policies, 2009-2019
- Australian election, 2010
- Australia economy, 2013-2017
- Australian election, 2013
- Australia – China, 2013-2017
- Malcolm Turnbull PM: election, 2016

Folder 5: Robert Milliken articles for Sydney Morning Herald and Inside Story, 2008-2021
- Inside Story, 2012-2021
- Sydney Morning Herald editorials, 2008-2012

FOLDERS 6-8: Miscellaneous material

Folder 6: Stanford University, 1979-1980; Reunions: Stanford University Journalism Fellowship, 1997
- Stanford University, 1979-1980
Material relating to the Professional Journalism Fellowships Program at Stanford University, United States, in which Robert Milliken participated. Includes a draft article and a group photograph featuring Milliken.
- Reunions: Stanford University Journalism Fellowship, 1997
Includes correspondence and a ‘John S. Knight Fellowships: Reunion and Conference’ programme.

Folder 7: J.D. Pringle/L. Roxon, 1996-2017; Helen Reddy film 2018
- J.D. Pringle/L. Roxon, 1996-2017
Material relating to newspaper editor John Douglas Pringle, including notes, drafts and obituary written by Milliken. Also includes correspondence, transcript of interview between Robert Milliken and John Douglas Pringle relating to Lillian Roxon, as well as a Milliken’s draft preface for ‘Lillian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia’.
- Helen Reddy film 2018
Correspondence relating to Milliken’s publication ‘Mother of Rock’ as source material for the movie I AM Woman, 2017-2019.

Folder 8: Demolition Rushcutters Bay, approximately mid-1980s
Colour photographs (7) relating to the demolition of heritage houses in Waratah Street, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. Includes photographs of house demolitions, and of a meeting of the Rushcutters Bay Residents Action Group attended by Clover Moore.

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder