The Man Who Couldn't Wait: The true story of Australia's first political assassination
Debbie Whitmont
Apr 2026 · Allen & Unwin
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400
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About this ebook
Could the conviction of Vietnamese refugee Phuong Ngo for the 1994 assassination of Cabramatta MP John Newman be one of Australia's greatest miscarriages of justice?
'I think that every now and again our wonderful system cocks up, and this was one of those times.' Former ALP Senator Graham Richardson
Cabramatta was embroiled in a heroin epidemic, gang wars and demands to deport Vietnamese gangsters when local MP John Newman was gunned down in the driveway of his home.
Newman's murder was billed as Australia's first political assassination and the killer was identified within hours as the politically ambitious Vietnamese refugee and Deputy Mayor, Phuong Ngo.
Ngo was found guilty of killing Newman to take his seat in parliament and sentenced to die in jail. But there have always been questions about his conviction.
Why did it take seven years and three trials to find Phuong Ngo guilty? Why were the names of so many witnesses and so much evidence kept secret? How could Ngo be the murder mastermind when both of the men accused of shooting Newman were acquitted? Why is the killer still at large? And why do some of the most senior politicians of the day say they never believed Phuong Ngo was guilty?
For the first time, Phuong Ngo tells his story, and The Man Who Couldn't Wait unpicks one of the country's longest and most secretive investigations.
'Superbly told - a story that gnaws at the conscience of the country.' David Marr
'I think that every now and again our wonderful system cocks up, and this was one of those times.' Former ALP Senator Graham Richardson
Cabramatta was embroiled in a heroin epidemic, gang wars and demands to deport Vietnamese gangsters when local MP John Newman was gunned down in the driveway of his home.
Newman's murder was billed as Australia's first political assassination and the killer was identified within hours as the politically ambitious Vietnamese refugee and Deputy Mayor, Phuong Ngo.
Ngo was found guilty of killing Newman to take his seat in parliament and sentenced to die in jail. But there have always been questions about his conviction.
Why did it take seven years and three trials to find Phuong Ngo guilty? Why were the names of so many witnesses and so much evidence kept secret? How could Ngo be the murder mastermind when both of the men accused of shooting Newman were acquitted? Why is the killer still at large? And why do some of the most senior politicians of the day say they never believed Phuong Ngo was guilty?
For the first time, Phuong Ngo tells his story, and The Man Who Couldn't Wait unpicks one of the country's longest and most secretive investigations.
'Superbly told - a story that gnaws at the conscience of the country.' David Marr
Could the conviction of Vietnamese refugee Phuong Ngo for the 1994 assassination of Cabramatta MP John Newman be one of Australia's greatest miscarriages of justice?
'I think that every now and again our wonderful system cocks up, and this was one of those times.' Former ALP Senator Graham Richa...
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About the author
Debbie Whitmont is a journalist and lawyer, a former Middle East Correspondent and reporter for the ABC's Four Corners program for more than two decades. She has won two Walkley Awards and three Human Rights Commission TV Awards.
Debbie Whitmont is a journalist and lawyer, a former Middle East Correspondent and reporter for the ABC's Four Corners program for more than two decades. She has won two Walkley Awards and three Human Rights Commission TV Awards.
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