Background
Cassidy was born in Wangaratta, Victoria and grew up in the Victorian town of Chiltern, attending Rutherglen High School. He had many brothers and an elder sister, and grew up with a love of football and sports.
Cassidy was born in Wangaratta, Victoria and grew up in the Victorian town of Chiltern, attending Rutherglen High School. He had many brothers and an elder sister, and grew up with a love of football and sports.
Starting his career as a cadet on the Albury Border Morning Mail in 1969, he moved to the Shepparton News about a year later before being hired as a court reporter for the Melbourne Herald. Joining the American Broadcasting Company Network, he initially covered state politics. In 1986, Cassidy was approached by the then Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, to become his personal press secretary.
He remained in the job—which he has described as "the most rewarding and interesting period of my life"—until Paul Keating took over the leadership in 1991 following a challenge.
Moving to Washington, Cassidy worked as a correspondent for The Australian before returning to Australia to host the Last Shout and Meet the Press programs on Network Ten. He has also hosted the morning show American Broadcasting Company News Breakfast.
Cassidy appeared as himself in the first episode of the 1998 Australia television series The Games. He has a keen interest in horseracing, and is a devout fan of Collingwood in the Australian Football League.
Cassidy is also a keen jogger, running almost every day.
Cassidy worked as Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke"s press secretary from 1986 to 1991. In 2015, he welcomed the replacement of Tony Abbott as Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party by the less conservative Malcolm Turnbull. After a speech in which former-Prime Minister Abbott urged caution on asylum seeker policy to European leaders, Cassidy described Abbott"s creed as "a fundamental rejection of negotiation and compromise, and a refusal to allow compassion to get in the way of a nation"s self-interest." He described the arrival of Turnbull in office as "a new and positive era".
He describes Abbott"s policy disagreements with Turnbull following his replacement as "vindictive".
Cassidy supports same-sex marriage.