GST had just been introduced, Windows ‘98 was king of computer programming, and John Howard was three years into his 11-year stint as Prime Minister. At Sydney University, five law students-turned-backyard publishers were partying like it was 1999 – because, well, it was.
The enthusiastic (and likely inebriated) young hacks had just finished putting together their debut issue of satirical student newspaper, The Chaser. It was time to celebrate. The only problem was that Issue One was due to be sent to the printers that evening.
“It was a typical Chaser party in that it was a really good party, but we ended up missing our print deadline,” recalls Julian Morrow, a founding member of the comedy team that has since become infamous for its satire across print, television, radio and live performances.