Paulie Stewart

As part of our commitment to capturing and sharing great Australian music stories, the Australian Music Vault asked some of the country’s most influential trailblazers and unsung heroes to open up about their lives in music.

A seminal figure in the Australian music scene, Paulie Stewart is the frontman and vocalist of the socially and politically-charged rock band, Painters & Dockers – a band he co-founded in Melbourne in the early 1980s. During the peak of their popularity in late 1980s and early 1990s, the band’s provocative and often satirical songs challenged cultural attitudes towards capitalism, monarchy, civil rights, and gender equity.

Between 1984 and 1994, Painters & Dockers released six albums and produced memorable singles such as ‘Die Yuppie Die’ (1988), ‘I Know Better Queens Than That’ (1994) and ‘Nude School’ (1985) which earned the band a Top 30 hit.

Beyond the stage, Stewart’s passion for social justice led him to champion the cause of East Timorese independence. In 1992, he co-founded the Dili Allstars with East Timorese musician Gil Santos and in 1999, the band released the single ‘Liberdade’ to raise awareness and funds for the East Timorese people during a particularly critical juncture in the nation’s history. He has since devoted himself to social activism and community work ranging from fund-raising for nuns in Timor-Leste through to helping street kids and refugees get their lives back on track through music therapy.

In 2020, Paulie Stewart received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the community and to the performing arts.

In this revealing interview Stewart shares the trauma of losing his eldest brother Tony, who was part of the Balibo Five murdered by Indonesian forces, and reflects on how that tragedy shaped his life as a writer, musician, and humanitarian.

Interviewer: Jane Gazzo
Location: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2023