Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
To be played by John Clarke was a badge of honour for many politicians.
While some humourless types might grouch about being lampooned, others took it as a sign that they were, if nothing else, recognisable enough to be the target of Clarke's coruscating wit.
"His laconic wit was rarely wide of the mark. I should know. With lethal accuracy he made politicians and prime ministers his prey," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.
"With Bryan Dawe, his weekly take-down of the absurdity of political life became required viewing. In this guise, his strength was the underperformance - that canny knack of saying just enough to hit the target, and no more. In this sense, his satire served a noble purpose. It spoke truth to power. It made our democracy richer and stronger. It kept politicians on their toes.
"And best of all it made us laugh along the way. We'll wait a long time to find another John Clarke. In fact, we never will."
Another of his targets, Defence Industries Minister Christopher Pyne, said he had been "the butt of satire" for nearly a quarter of a century and was "happy to be so".
"I think the role of a political satirist is very important in our democracy and it is also a safety valve."
Mr Pyne said it was his time as education minister than drew Clarke to "critique my performance, which I thought was very funny".
"If you take anything personally from cartoonists or satirists or even your opponents you wouldn't last very long in this business. I've never taken anything personally. My wife, I think, thinks I miss the social signals and I think that's probably been quite a good thing after a quarter of a century."
Politicians from all parties lined up to pay respect to Clarke whose weekly segment, shortly before the Thursday 7pm ABC television news bulletin, often offered one of the most cogent commentaries on the week's politics - as well as a chuckle or two.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Clarke's humour was the "sharpest, driest wit on Aussie TV. 6.56 on Thursdays will never be the same".
Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said: "Bugger. His humour kept me sane during some tough times. Sad news."
In an interview in 2015, Clarke described writing his weekly segment as "responsive".
It was filmed the day before it was broadcast and to guard against events overtaking the script, Clarke would write two scripts. In particularly busy political weeks he might write three or four.
Clarke did not dress up but the notable exception to the rule was former speaker Bronwyn Bishop.
"He never, ever dressed up. Except on one occasion," Mrs Bishop's daughter, Channel 10 reporter Angela Bishop, said of the time Clarke donned a blonde beehive.
"It was hilarious. She [Mrs Bishop] thought it was the highest accolade one could have."
A fitting tribute for the man who brought the word "farnarkeling" to a wider audience. Could there be a better word for the practice of politics?
