Draft:Laurie Patton

• Comment: Things the subject has written or said do not contribute to his notability, nor do other primary sources.
  Some citations (at least #12-16) are to sources which don't seem to even mention Patton.
  Facebook and Wikipedia are user-generated, and therefore not considered reliable sources.
  I cannot see the SMH piece because it's behind a paywall, but whatever it says, it alone isn't enough. DoubleGrazing (talk) 11:29, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

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Laurie Patton is an Australian journalist and media executive, former political advisor and more recently a high profile public interest advocate - noted for heading up a successful #BetterBroadband campaign.., advocacy for decentralisation as a means of dealing with housing affordability and the need for stronger whistleblower laws.

He is a former CEO / executive director of Internet Australia - a chapter of the global Internet Society, former vice-president of the Australian Telecommunications Society (TelSoc), and currently Director of Public Affairs at the United Nations Association of Australia (NSW) (and a member of its executive committee).

Patton held a range of executive positions at the Seven Network - running Seven Queensland, Seven Sydney and Network Director of Marketing.

Patton's television career began as a journalist / producer of news, current affairs and lifestyle programs. He was the Seven Network's head of news and current affairs, ordering the "holding over" of a controversial segment which later ran on the Today Tonight program.

He was a member of an Expert Panel for a review of the Australian Government's investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector. He was subsequently appointed a Special Advisor by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy to assist with the implementation of the Review's recommendations – including brokering arrangements which saw SBS take over the management of the National Indigenous Television channel (NITV) and provide it with national free-to-air coverage on one of its previously unused digital channels.

Patton was the founding chief executive of community television station TVS (Television Sydney) - backed by the University of Western Sydney and located at its Penrith campus - providing work experience for students who subsequently found jobs in mainstream media. TVS was the first Australian television channel to live stream continuously on the Internet and the first community channel to simulcast in digital and analogue.

Patton created the highly acclaimed World Movies channel, which was initially broadcast on Foxtel and later moved to SBS.

He has held non-executive directorships on boards including the National Heart Foundation of Australia, Sky News Australia and the New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO)

While Deputy Chair of the FTO Patton initiated and led the first official delegation of Australian film makers to the Shanghai International Film Festival and headed up negotiations which led to an Australia-China film co-production agreement

Patton lives on the NSW south coast. He is a qualified commercial coxswain and a Marine Rescue NSW volunteer - crewing rescue boats and working as a radio operator at a Search and Rescue Coordination Centre.

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