Bob Carr draws Labor luminaries to Macquarie Street book launch

March 19, 2026 — 5:00am

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After bundling up onto the stage of the Theatrette in NSW Parliament House on Wednesday, former NSW premier and foreign minister Bob Carr was quick to offer momentary relief before getting to what he calls “this business of grief”.

“My pockets contain the latest measure of my unsuccess in cooking for myself. I got them from the pharmacy across the road after … seeing a doctor around the corner. One is Lofenoxal, three tablets a day. And the other one is Norfloxacin tablets,” Carr said, offering a brief pause. “It was the worst, the worst indigestion.

“I followed what I thought were all the junctures about kitchen hygiene. And obviously, there was a fatal miscalculation over how long the chicken had been there.”

Carr was setting up the room of current and former Labor heavyweights for a half hour of heartache to mark the launch of his book, Bring Back Yesterday. It’s a tribute to his love and late wife, Helena Carr, and his profound grief following her sudden death.

Among those in attendance was Premier Chris Minns, who offered the room a speech of his own before handing over to the event’s emcee, NSW Labor MP Clayton Barr, who introduced Carr to the stage.

Bob Carr on marriage, grief and finally learning how to do a load of laundry

Also in the room was former Keating, Rudd and Gillard........

© The Sydney Morning Herald