Paul Cleary grew up in Sydney's southwest and has worked as a journalist covering economic, social and tax policy for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Financial Review while based in Canberra Press Gallery for ten years. His revelations about secret Treasury analysis of the Howard government's 2000 Goods and Services Tax reform led to a Senate inquiry and improvements for low income groups. He lived in Hanoi for two years where he helped to establish the country's first English language daily, while working as a correspondent and studying Vietnamese. In 2002 he was awarded a Chevening fellowship by the UK Foreign Office for a masters in the political economy of development. After first visiting East Timor in 1997 he was an adviser in the East Timor government's Timor Sea Office from 2003-05, while also travelling extensively around the country and learning Tetum, Portuguese and Brasilian foho.
