The Man Who Couldn't Wait
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Remove from Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for 3 months + $20 Audible bonus voucher
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Offer ends on 28 December, 2026.
The Man Who Couldn't Wait
Narrated by:
Jessica Douglas-Henry
Buy Now for $27.79
-
Narrated by:
-
Jessica Douglas-Henry
-
By:
-
Debbie Whitmont
Summary
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?
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 accused of killing Newman to take his seat in parliament and sentenced to die in gaol. But there have always been questions about his conviction.
Why did it take seven years and three trials to find Phuong Ngo guilty? Why was so much evidence and the names of so many witnesses 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 day's most senior politicians say they never believed Phuong Ngo was guilty?
For the first time, Phuong Ngo tells his story and unpicks one of the country's longest and most secretive investigations in The Man Who Couldn't Wait.
'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©2026 Debbie Whitmont (P)2026 W. F. Howes ltd.
Brilliant story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.