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Wikipedia

Nick McKenzie

December 15, 2023

Nick McKenzie is an Australian investigative journalist. He has won 14 [1] Walkley Awards,[2][3] been twice[1] named the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year[4][5] and also received the Kennedy Award for Journalist of the Year in 2020[6][7] and 2022.[8][9] He is the president of the Melbourne Press Club.[10][11]

Nick McKenzie
NationalityAustralian
OccupationInvestigative journalist
WebsiteNickMcKenzie.com.au

McKenzie is known for his work exposing corruption in politics, business, foreign affairs/defence, human rights issues, policing, and criminal justice.[1] He works for Melbourne's The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Financial Review, and has reported for Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Four Corners[2] and Nine’s 60 Minutes.[12][13]

In June 2023, McKenzie won what some dubbed the Trial of the Century when sued by decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith. A judge said four of the six murder allegations — all denied by the soldier in question — were substantially true.

Life and career

McKenzie graduated from RMIT University, Melbourne, with a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) in 2001.[14] He also holds a Masters in International Politics from the University of Melbourne and is currently obtaining a Melbourne JD (Juris Doctor), from Monash University.[15]

He firstly worked as a cadet journalist at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, later joining Fairfax Media (publisher of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald). McKenzie's reporting has led to a number of government inquiries and police investigations, including a federal police probe into political donations given by alleged mafia figures.[16]

In 2009, a report by McKenzie and colleague Richard Baker into foreign bribery involving Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiaries sparked a national scandal.[17] It led to Australia's first-ever foreign bribery prosecution in 2011 and guilty pleas of RBA firms Securency and Note Printing Australia.[18][17] McKenzie and Baker were awarded a Walkley Award for Investigative Reporting for their investigation, which also led to the governor of the Reserve Bank, Glenn Stevens, testifying before a Senate committee to respond to allegations the bank mishandled the scandal.[19]

In 2012, McKenzie’s reporting on corruption and organised crime within the Australian Customs service was recognised with a Walkley Award.[20] The reporting led to reforms of the Australian customs service announced in 2013 by Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare and overseen by former NSW judge James Wood.[21] In 2012 McKenzie obtained confidential Victoria Police files documenting the suicides of at least 40 people sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Victoria.[2][22] Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu immediately called a parliamentary inquiry into abuse allegations by religious clergy.[23]

A 2012 interview McKenzie conducted with sports scientist Steven Dank was used by Australia’s anti-doping agency ASADA in its controversial doping case against the Essendon Football Club.[24]

In 2014, a news story by McKenzie on Four Corners into abuse in disability care homes led to a Victorian Ombudsman inquiry and a federal senate inquiry, which recommended a royal commission that was later announced by the Morrison government.[25]

McKenzie has been involved in many high-profile stories.[2] He interviewed Australian terrorist leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika before Benbrika was prosecuted for leading terror cells in Sydney and Melbourne. During Benbrika’s court case, the public prosecutor told the court that Benbrika was covertly recorded by authorities claiming that he had threatened McKenzie, telling him to “watch yourself” and that he knew how to find the reporter.[26]

In 2014, a report co-authored by McKenzie on an undisclosed multi-million dollar payment to Hong Kong chief executive CY Leung from Australian company UGL prompted widespread calls for Leung's resignation and sparked an investigation by Hong Kong authorities.[27]

In 2016, McKenzie and Baker revealed the Unaoil oil industry corruption scandal that implicated some of the world's biggest oil industry firms, including Rolls-Royce, ABB, Petrofac and Halliburton in alleged corruption involving a Monaco firm called Unaoil.[28] In 2019, the founders of Unaoil pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption offences in the United States.[29]

Documentaries

McKenzie was awarded the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award and the Lowy Institute Media Award for reporting on foreign interference in Australia by the Chinese Communist Party.[30][31]

His 2017 Four Corners documentary program Power and Influence reported that ASIO had warned Australian political parties about receiving donations from two men, billionaires Huang Xiangmo and Chau Chak Wing.[32] It also reported that former Trade Minister Andrew Robb had been hired on a $880,000 yearly consultancy by a company closely linked to the Chinese government.

The story was a catalyst for Australia's controversial counter foreign interference laws and later led to the resignation of senator Sam Dastyari over his dealings with Huang.[33][32] Huang was expelled from Australia by ASIO on security grounds, but denied the allegations about him,[34] while Chau Chak Wing commenced defamation proceedings.[35][36]

In July 2019, McKenzie presented Crown Unmasked[37] detailing corporate misconduct involving Crown Resorts, including allegations Crown was working with casino junket operators owned by Hong Kong’s triads.[38][39] The investigation also reported Australia’s Department of Home Affairs favoured visa applications by Crown’s VIP gamblers, including criminals. Crown attacked the reporting in advertisements, describing it as “a deceitful campaign.” Crown's chairwoman Helen Coonan in 2020 told a commission of inquiry into Crown's suitability to hold a gaming licence that the advertisement contained significant errors.[40] The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission also opened probes into the money laundering allegations.[41]

On 14 June 2020, McKenzie reporting for The Age and Nine Network's 60 Minutes Australia released covert recordings purporting to show cabinet minister and Labor party power broker Adem Somyurek organising branch stacking. Somyurek is alleged to have registered local party members with false details, taking funds from business owners to pay for party membership fees, and directing ministerial staffers to engage in wrongdoing.[42] Included in the numerous covert recordings, are several sections where Somyurek is heard making derogatory comments towards MPs Gabrielle Williams and Marlene Kairouz and ministerial staffers, which have been described as sexist and homophobic.[42]

“This is going to be relentless; we're just going to go fuck them. We're just going to go to town. This is fucking war. We've got fucking massive numbers, we've got about thirty going in every week...”

— [42], Covert audio recording of Somyurek

On 15 June 2020, Premier Dan Andrews sacked Somyurek from his cabinet and referred Somyurek's conduct to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission for further investigation.[43] Andrews also wrote to the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to seek the termination of Somyurek's party membership. Later that day, the Labor Party's national president, Wayne Swan, confirmed that Somyurek had resigned his membership and there would "never be a place for Somyurek in the ALP ever again".[44]

Court cases and shield laws

In 2010, McKenzie and investigative reporters Ben Schneiders and Royce Millar revealed political parties were storing personal information about voters, raising privacy concerns.[45] A Greens party candidate had supplied the password to the ALP Eleczilla voter profile database,[46] prompting the police to charged the trio with unauthorised access to a restricted database.[47] The trio admitted responsibility for the database access as part of a court diversion program, avoiding a conviction.[48] The trio’s barrister said there was a public interest in whether political parties should maintain such data and that investigative journalists provide “genuine service to this community.”[49] The Age published a news article acknowledging the unlawful conduct,[50] while editor-in-chief Andrew Holden defended the reporting, stating investigative journalists needed to report public interest stories.[48]

In a 2013 source case brought by a political donor in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, three journalists including McKenzie made an application to keep their sources confidential, but could not rely on shield laws as they hadn’t been introduced. Justice Lucy McCallum ruled a journalist's pledge to keep a source confidential "is not a right or an end in itself" and could be overridden "in the interests of justice,"[51] but the case was settled and no sources disclosed.[52]

In 2015, McKenzie defeated a Victorian Supreme Court application brought by an alleged mafia figure for disclosure of his sources in the first legal test of Victoria’s journalist shield laws.[53][54] The case was described by the ABC's Media Watch program as a landmark test of source protection.[55] The court ruled that identifying McKenzie’s sources would jeopardise their safety, that there was a strong public interest in reporting on the mafia's infiltration of politics and that there would be a chilling effect if disclosure was granted.[54] The Australian journalists’ union, the MEAA, described the decision as “important for public interest journalism,"[53] but other reporting suggested shield laws still remained unsatisfactory.[56][55] In his ruling, Supreme Court Justice John Dixon found that it was reasonable for police to suspect the alleged mafia figure placed a $200,000 hit on the suspected newspaper source.[57][58]

In 2016, the alleged mafia boss abandoned his defamation legal action against The Age over a series of articles describing him as a mafia boss involved in murder, extortion and drug trafficking.[59] The Age published an apology noting the man was never charged by the police, but did not retract reports identifying him as the head of the Calabrian mafia.[59]

In 2017, the ABC reached a confidential settlement with the Chinese Students and Scholars Association president after she appeared in a Four Corners program reported by McKenzie about the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in Australian politics and universities. The president demanded an apology but this was refused and instead Four Corners added an editors note to the program transcript.”[60]

In 2017, McKenzie and veteran reporter Chris Masters produced several reports detailing allegations that Australia’s special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.[61] They reported that Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith was under investigation by the federal police and the military inspector general.[62] Roberts-Smith attacked the claims as unfounded and sued McKenzie and Masters for defamation.[63] The trial commenced in June 2021 in Sydney,[64] and in June 2023 the charges against McKenzie and Fairfax were dismissed.[65]

In 2023, the Nine Network settled a defamation lawsuit involving Peter Schiff because of Nick McKenzie's 60 Minutes story about an international law enforcement operation, Atlantis, targeting his offshore bank. As part of the settlement, Schiff was paid $550,000 and all versions of the broadcast were permanently removed by the respondents.[66][67]

Awards and recognition

McKenzie has won Australia's top journalism award, the Walkley Award, ten times.[3][1]

In 2010, McKenzie and colleague Richard Baker won the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism's George Munster prize.[68]

In 2012, McKenzie and Baker were rated the third most influential journalists or editors in Australia by news website Crikey.[2]

McKenzie has twice been named the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year, once alongside Baker (2017)[4] and by himself in 2021.[69] In 2019, McKenzie won the Lowy Institute Media Award for reporting on foreign interference in Australia.[30][31]

In 2020, McKenzie was named the Kennedy Award's Journalist of the Year for his work exposing war crimes and corporate corruption.[7] He won the award again in 2022.[8][9]

McKenzie is the most decorated journalist in the history of the Melbourne Press Club's Quill Awards and has twice won the press club's highest award, the Gold Quill.[10][11]

Walkley Awards

The annual Walkley Awards, under the administration of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism, are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. McKenzie's ten Walkley Awards include:

  • 2004 Walkley for exposing police corruption
  • 2008 Walkley for exposing organising crime and race fixing in Australian racing
  • 2011 Walkley for exposing corporate misconduct and bribery linked to Reserve Bank
  • 2013 Walkley for doping in the Australian Football League
  • 2013 Walkley for exposing corruption inside Australia’s border force agency
  • 2014 Walkley for exposing corruption in construction industry and union movement
  • 2019 Walkley for exposing organised crime and foreign interference linked to Australia’s biggest gaming company, Crown Resorts
  • 2020 Walkley for exposing misconduct and the dark underbelly of Australian power in the 60 Minutes investigation "The Faceless Man"[70][71]
  • 2023 Walkley for Media Freedom to recognise his Ben Roberts-Smith stories from 2018 to 2023.[72]

Works

In 2012, McKenzie's book The Sting,[73] about one of Australia's biggest organised crime and money laundering investigations, was published by Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) Victory Books.[74]

McKenzie has also contributed to the Australian journalism textbooks, Australian Journalism Today (2012)[63] and The Best Australian Business Writing (2012).[75]

McKenzie wrote Crossing the Line,[76] his account of covering Roberts-Smith and the impending defamation trial.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Nick McKenzie". Sydney Morning Herald.
  2. ^ a b c d e Knott, Matthew. "The Power Index: Journos". Crikey.
  3. ^ a b "Walkley Award: Crown Unmasked". Walkley Awards. The Walkley Foundation.
  4. ^ a b "Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year honour roll". Melbourne Press Club. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  5. ^ melbourne press club (29 March 2021). "Nick McKenzie accepts the 2020 Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award". youtube. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  6. ^ Kennedy Prize for Journalist of the Year. "2020 TPG Telecom Kennedy Prize winner for Australian Journalist of the Year Nick McKenzie". Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b Mediaweek (8 November 2020). "Kennedy Awards: 33 winners from Nine, News Corp, Seven, ABC & more". Mediaweek. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b Berry, Jamie (12 August 2022). "Kennedy Awards: Nick McKenzie takes top honour for SMH, AGE reporting". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b Graham, Jackson (13 August 2022). "Age's Nick McKenzie wins journalist of the year at NSW awards". The Age. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Best Coverage of an Issue or Event". Melbourne Press Club. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Quill awards 2011 - Monash University Gold Quill". Melbourne Press Club. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  12. ^ "'Crown Unmasked': Nick McKenzie, Nick Toscano and Grace Tobin". The Walkley Foundation. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Ben Roberts-Smith: Top Australian soldier loses war crimes defamation case". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Outstanding Alumni". RMIT University. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  15. ^ McKenzie, Nick. "Nick McKenzie website".
  16. ^ McClymont, Kate. "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black". Sydney Morning Herald.
  17. ^ a b Parliamentary Library. "Australia's Efforts Against Foreign Bribery: An Update". Australian Parliament House. Australian Parliament House. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  18. ^ Letts, Stephen (28 November 2018). "How the RBA scandal unfolded". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  19. ^ Eltham, Ben (13 September 2012). "A Grubby Trail of Plastic Money". New Matilda. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  20. ^ Millar, Benjamin (28 November 2013). "The Age wins Walkley Awards". The Age. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  21. ^ Bourne, James. "Treat customs officials like corrupt police: Jason Clare". Australian Broadcasting Corp.
  22. ^ Lee, Jane, McKenzie, Nick and Baker, Richard (12 April 2012). "Church's suicide victims". The Age. Retrieved 5 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ McIlroy, Tom (17 April 2012). "Baillieu announces inquiry into church sexual abuse". The Courier. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  24. ^ Le Grand, Chip. "Dank swears peptides were permitted". The Australian.
  25. ^ Branley, the Specialist Reporting Team's Alison (14 March 2019). "You'd be forgiven for having royal commission fatigue, but this one's important. Here's why". ABC News. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  26. ^ Kissane, Karen (27 February 2008). "Benbrika boasted of threats, court told". The Age. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  27. ^ BBC News (8 October 2014). "HK leader given secret payment by Australian firm". BBC. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  28. ^ Thomas, Natalie. "Amec Foster Wheeler Shares Drop 10 % on SFP Probe". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  29. ^ "Monaco's Ahsani brothers plead guilty in U.S. to vast bribery scheme". Reuters. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  30. ^ a b ""Interference" journalists win 2019 Lowy Institute Media Award". About the ABC. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  31. ^ a b "The Lowy Institute Media Award | Lowy Institute". www.lowyinstitute.org. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  32. ^ a b "How much money have Chinese businesses donated to Australian political parties?". NewsComAu. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  33. ^ "Sam Dastyari resignation: How we got here". www.abc.net.au. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  34. ^ Dziedzic, foreign affairs reporter Stephen (18 February 2019). "ASIO denies discrimination after stripping Chinese billionaire's permanent residency". ABC News. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  35. ^ Whitbourn, Michaela. "Court throws out truth defence in Chau Chak Wing's defamation case". Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  36. ^ Pelly, Michael. "Chau Chak Wing wins $280,000 in defamation case v two former Fairfax Media papers". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  37. ^ 60 Minutes Australia (28 July 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Crown Casino exposed. Sex trafficking, drugs, money laundering". youtube. Retrieved 19 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ Democracy's Watchdogs (27 October 2019). "Nick McKenzie - Profile". youtube. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  39. ^ "Crown casino inquiry gets underway in Sydney". ABC Radio. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  40. ^ Hatch, Patrick (16 October 2020). "Crown hasn't reviewed China disaster because of 'legal risk', says Coonan". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  41. ^ Davies, Anne (21 January 2020). "Crown Resorts may have breached casino licence over proposed share deal with Melco, inquiry hears". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  42. ^ a b c Llanbey, Sumeyya; McKenzie, Nick; Tozer, Joel (14 June 2020). "Calls for investigation into factional powerbroker Adem Somyurek". The Age. Nine Entertainment Co. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  43. ^ "'Terminated': Andrews sacks Somyurek, Albanese moves to kick him out of party". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  44. ^ "Adem Somyurek quits Labor Party after 60 Minutes airs allegations of branch stacking, offensive language". ABC News. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  45. ^ Millar, Royce and McKenzie, Nick (22 November 2010). "Revealed: How the ALP keeps secret files on voters". The Age. Retrieved 5 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ Campbell, James (23 April 2013). "Greens party candidate, Fraser Brindley charged with alleged hacking of ALP electoral database". Herald Sun. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  47. ^ "Age journos admit fault in hacking case". www.heraldsun.com.au. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  48. ^ a b "Vic journalists avoid database conviction". SBS News. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  49. ^ Akerman, Pia. "Age journalists plead guilty to avoid conviction". The Australian.
  50. ^ Ackerman, Pia (22 May 2014). "Age journalists plead guilty to avoid conviction". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  51. ^ Ralston, Nick. "Age journalists ordered to reveal sources". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  52. ^ Patrick, Rex (4 December 2018). "Adjournment: Espionage and Foreign Interference". Rex Patrick. Rex Patrick. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  53. ^ a b "Journalists' sources protected in crucial hearing". MEAA. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  54. ^ a b McCausland, Sally. "Reputations in the courtroom". Inside Story.
  55. ^ a b Barry, Paul. "Media Watch". Australian Broadcast Corp.
  56. ^ McCausland, Sally. "Reputations in the courtroom".
  57. ^ "Everything We Know About the Melbourne Underworld Lawyer Executed Behind his Brunswick Gelato Shop". Vice News.
  58. ^ Russell, Mark (9 December 2015). "Alleged Mafia boss Antonio Madafferi loses court fight with The Age over sources". The Age. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  59. ^ a b Le Grand, Chip. "Fairfax apology as businessman accused of mafia links drops case". The Australian.
  60. ^ Cornwall, Deborah. "ABC quietly settles Chinese student's defamation case". The Australian.
  61. ^ 60 Minutes Australia (22 September 2019). "Shocking allegations about elite Australian soldiers during Afghanistan war". youtube. Retrieved 18 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  62. ^ Masters, Nick McKenzie, Chris (15 December 2019). "Police launch second war crimes investigation into Ben Roberts-Smith". The Age. Retrieved 6 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  63. ^ a b "Australian Journalism Today". Palgrave Macmillan Australia. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  64. ^ Patrick, Aaron (29 December 2020). "The defamation trial of the century". Financial Review. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  65. ^ "Ben Roberts-Smith took the fight to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald – it was a disastrous miscalculation". SMH. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  66. ^ Goldstein, Matthew (1 December 2023). "Australian Media Company to Pay Peter Schiff to End Defamation Suit". The New York Times. from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  67. ^ "Consent Orders, Peter David Schiff v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd ACN 008 685 407 and others named in the schedule". Federal Court of Australia. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  68. ^ "Munster Winners" (PDF). www.uts.edu.au. Australian Centre for Independent Journalism. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  69. ^ Mediaweek (28 March 2021). "Quill Awards winners for 2020 named by Melbourne Press Club". Mediaweek. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  70. ^ 60 Minutes Australia (24 February 2021). "The Faceless man: Dark underbelly of Australian power exposed". youtube. Retrieved 18 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  71. ^ "Nine News, 60 Minutes honoured at Walkley Awards". 20 November 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  72. ^ "68th Walkley Awards winners announced". Walkley Awards. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  73. ^ "Extract from The Sting". The Age. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  74. ^ Wheeler Centre. "Nick McKenzie: The Sting". youtube. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  75. ^ "The Best Australian Business Writing 2012". NewSouth Books. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  76. ^ "What it was really like to report on Ben Roberts-Smith". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2023.

External links

  • nickmckenzie.com.au Official website
  • Nick McKenzie AU at youtube

December 15, 2023
nick, mckenzie, australian, investigative, journalist, walkley, awards, been, twice, named, graham, perkin, australian, journalist, year, also, received, kennedy, award, journalist, year, 2020, 2022, president, melbourne, press, club, nationalityaustralianoccu. Nick McKenzie is an Australian investigative journalist He has won 14 1 Walkley Awards 2 3 been twice 1 named the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year 4 5 and also received the Kennedy Award for Journalist of the Year in 2020 6 7 and 2022 8 9 He is the president of the Melbourne Press Club 10 11 Nick McKenzieNationalityAustralianOccupationInvestigative journalistWebsiteNickMcKenzie com auMcKenzie is known for his work exposing corruption in politics business foreign affairs defence human rights issues policing and criminal justice 1 He works for Melbourne s The Age The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Financial Review and has reported for Australian Broadcasting Corporation s Four Corners 2 and Nine s 60 Minutes 12 13 In June 2023 McKenzie won what some dubbed the Trial of the Century when sued by decorated soldier Ben Roberts Smith A judge said four of the six murder allegations all denied by the soldier in question were substantially true Contents 1 Life and career 2 Documentaries 3 Court cases and shield laws 4 Awards and recognition 4 1 Walkley Awards 5 Works 6 References 7 External linksLife and careerMcKenzie graduated from RMIT University Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts Journalism in 2001 14 He also holds a Masters in International Politics from the University of Melbourne and is currently obtaining a Melbourne JD Juris Doctor from Monash University 15 He firstly worked as a cadet journalist at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation later joining Fairfax Media publisher of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald McKenzie s reporting has led to a number of government inquiries and police investigations including a federal police probe into political donations given by alleged mafia figures 16 In 2009 a report by McKenzie and colleague Richard Baker into foreign bribery involving Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiaries sparked a national scandal 17 It led to Australia s first ever foreign bribery prosecution in 2011 and guilty pleas of RBA firms Securency and Note Printing Australia 18 17 McKenzie and Baker were awarded a Walkley Award for Investigative Reporting for their investigation which also led to the governor of the Reserve Bank Glenn Stevens testifying before a Senate committee to respond to allegations the bank mishandled the scandal 19 In 2012 McKenzie s reporting on corruption and organised crime within the Australian Customs service was recognised with a Walkley Award 20 The reporting led to reforms of the Australian customs service announced in 2013 by Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare and overseen by former NSW judge James Wood 21 In 2012 McKenzie obtained confidential Victoria Police files documenting the suicides of at least 40 people sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Victoria 2 22 Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu immediately called a parliamentary inquiry into abuse allegations by religious clergy 23 A 2012 interview McKenzie conducted with sports scientist Steven Dank was used by Australia s anti doping agency ASADA in its controversial doping case against the Essendon Football Club 24 In 2014 a news story by McKenzie on Four Corners into abuse in disability care homes led to a Victorian Ombudsman inquiry and a federal senate inquiry which recommended a royal commission that was later announced by the Morrison government 25 McKenzie has been involved in many high profile stories 2 He interviewed Australian terrorist leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika before Benbrika was prosecuted for leading terror cells in Sydney and Melbourne During Benbrika s court case the public prosecutor told the court that Benbrika was covertly recorded by authorities claiming that he had threatened McKenzie telling him to watch yourself and that he knew how to find the reporter 26 In 2014 a report co authored by McKenzie on an undisclosed multi million dollar payment to Hong Kong chief executive CY Leung from Australian company UGL prompted widespread calls for Leung s resignation and sparked an investigation by Hong Kong authorities 27 In 2016 McKenzie and Baker revealed the Unaoil oil industry corruption scandal that implicated some of the world s biggest oil industry firms including Rolls Royce ABB Petrofac and Halliburton in alleged corruption involving a Monaco firm called Unaoil 28 In 2019 the founders of Unaoil pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption offences in the United States 29 DocumentariesMcKenzie was awarded the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award and the Lowy Institute Media Award for reporting on foreign interference in Australia by the Chinese Communist Party 30 31 His 2017 Four Corners documentary program Power and Influence reported that ASIO had warned Australian political parties about receiving donations from two men billionaires Huang Xiangmo and Chau Chak Wing 32 It also reported that former Trade Minister Andrew Robb had been hired on a 880 000 yearly consultancy by a company closely linked to the Chinese government The story was a catalyst for Australia s controversial counter foreign interference laws and later led to the resignation of senator Sam Dastyari over his dealings with Huang 33 32 Huang was expelled from Australia by ASIO on security grounds but denied the allegations about him 34 while Chau Chak Wing commenced defamation proceedings 35 36 In July 2019 McKenzie presented Crown Unmasked 37 detailing corporate misconduct involving Crown Resorts including allegations Crown was working with casino junket operators owned by Hong Kong s triads 38 39 The investigation also reported Australia s Department of Home Affairs favoured visa applications by Crown s VIP gamblers including criminals Crown attacked the reporting in advertisements describing it as a deceitful campaign Crown s chairwoman Helen Coonan in 2020 told a commission of inquiry into Crown s suitability to hold a gaming licence that the advertisement contained significant errors 40 The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission also opened probes into the money laundering allegations 41 On 14 June 2020 McKenzie reporting for The Age and Nine Network s 60 Minutes Australia released covert recordings purporting to show cabinet minister and Labor party power broker Adem Somyurek organising branch stacking Somyurek is alleged to have registered local party members with false details taking funds from business owners to pay for party membership fees and directing ministerial staffers to engage in wrongdoing 42 Included in the numerous covert recordings are several sections where Somyurek is heard making derogatory comments towards MPs Gabrielle Williams and Marlene Kairouz and ministerial staffers which have been described as sexist and homophobic 42 This is going to be relentless we re just going to go fuck them We re just going to go to town This is fucking war We ve got fucking massive numbers we ve got about thirty going in every week 42 Covert audio recording of Somyurek On 15 June 2020 Premier Dan Andrews sacked Somyurek from his cabinet and referred Somyurek s conduct to the Independent Broad based Anti corruption Commission for further investigation 43 Andrews also wrote to the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party ALP to seek the termination of Somyurek s party membership Later that day the Labor Party s national president Wayne Swan confirmed that Somyurek had resigned his membership and there would never be a place for Somyurek in the ALP ever again 44 Court cases and shield lawsIn 2010 McKenzie and investigative reporters Ben Schneiders and Royce Millar revealed political parties were storing personal information about voters raising privacy concerns 45 A Greens party candidate had supplied the password to the ALP Eleczilla voter profile database 46 prompting the police to charged the trio with unauthorised access to a restricted database 47 The trio admitted responsibility for the database access as part of a court diversion program avoiding a conviction 48 The trio s barrister said there was a public interest in whether political parties should maintain such data and that investigative journalists provide genuine service to this community 49 The Age published a news article acknowledging the unlawful conduct 50 while editor in chief Andrew Holden defended the reporting stating investigative journalists needed to report public interest stories 48 In a 2013 source case brought by a political donor in the Supreme Court of New South Wales three journalists including McKenzie made an application to keep their sources confidential but could not rely on shield laws as they hadn t been introduced Justice Lucy McCallum ruled a journalist s pledge to keep a source confidential is not a right or an end in itself and could be overridden in the interests of justice 51 but the case was settled and no sources disclosed 52 In 2015 McKenzie defeated a Victorian Supreme Court application brought by an alleged mafia figure for disclosure of his sources in the first legal test of Victoria s journalist shield laws 53 54 The case was described by the ABC s Media Watch program as a landmark test of source protection 55 The court ruled that identifying McKenzie s sources would jeopardise their safety that there was a strong public interest in reporting on the mafia s infiltration of politics and that there would be a chilling effect if disclosure was granted 54 The Australian journalists union the MEAA described the decision as important for public interest journalism 53 but other reporting suggested shield laws still remained unsatisfactory 56 55 In his ruling Supreme Court Justice John Dixon found that it was reasonable for police to suspect the alleged mafia figure placed a 200 000 hit on the suspected newspaper source 57 58 In 2016 the alleged mafia boss abandoned his defamation legal action against The Age over a series of articles describing him as a mafia boss involved in murder extortion and drug trafficking 59 The Age published an apology noting the man was never charged by the police but did not retract reports identifying him as the head of the Calabrian mafia 59 In 2017 the ABC reached a confidential settlement with the Chinese Students and Scholars Association president after she appeared in a Four Corners program reported by McKenzie about the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in Australian politics and universities The president demanded an apology but this was refused and instead Four Corners added an editors note to the program transcript 60 In 2017 McKenzie and veteran reporter Chris Masters produced several reports detailing allegations that Australia s special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan 61 They reported that Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts Smith was under investigation by the federal police and the military inspector general 62 Roberts Smith attacked the claims as unfounded and sued McKenzie and Masters for defamation 63 The trial commenced in June 2021 in Sydney 64 and in June 2023 the charges against McKenzie and Fairfax were dismissed 65 In 2023 the Nine Network settled a defamation lawsuit involving Peter Schiff because of Nick McKenzie s 60 Minutes story about an international law enforcement operation Atlantis targeting his offshore bank As part of the settlement Schiff was paid 550 000 and all versions of the broadcast were permanently removed by the respondents 66 67 Awards and recognitionMcKenzie has won Australia s top journalism award the Walkley Award ten times 3 1 In 2010 McKenzie and colleague Richard Baker won the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism s George Munster prize 68 In 2012 McKenzie and Baker were rated the third most influential journalists or editors in Australia by news website Crikey 2 McKenzie has twice been named the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year once alongside Baker 2017 4 and by himself in 2021 69 In 2019 McKenzie won the Lowy Institute Media Award for reporting on foreign interference in Australia 30 31 In 2020 McKenzie was named the Kennedy Award s Journalist of the Year for his work exposing war crimes and corporate corruption 7 He won the award again in 2022 8 9 McKenzie is the most decorated journalist in the history of the Melbourne Press Club s Quill Awards and has twice won the press club s highest award the Gold Quill 10 11 Walkley Awards The annual Walkley Awards under the administration of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism McKenzie s ten Walkley Awards include 2004 Walkley for exposing police corruption 2008 Walkley for exposing organising crime and race fixing in Australian racing 2011 Walkley for exposing corporate misconduct and bribery linked to Reserve Bank 2013 Walkley for doping in the Australian Football League 2013 Walkley for exposing corruption inside Australia s border force agency 2014 Walkley for exposing corruption in construction industry and union movement 2019 Walkley for exposing organised crime and foreign interference linked to Australia s biggest gaming company Crown Resorts 2020 Walkley for exposing misconduct and the dark underbelly of Australian power in the 60 Minutes investigation The Faceless Man 70 71 2023 Walkley for Media Freedom to recognise his Ben Roberts Smith stories from 2018 to 2023 72 WorksIn 2012 McKenzie s book The Sting 73 about one of Australia s biggest organised crime and money laundering investigations was published by Melbourne University Publishing MUP Victory Books 74 McKenzie has also contributed to the Australian journalism textbooks Australian Journalism Today 2012 63 and The Best Australian Business Writing 2012 75 McKenzie wrote Crossing the Line 76 his account of covering Roberts Smith and the impending defamation trial References a b c d Nick McKenzie Sydney Morning Herald a b c d e Knott Matthew The Power Index Journos Crikey a b Walkley Award Crown Unmasked Walkley Awards The Walkley Foundation a b Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year honour roll Melbourne Press Club Retrieved 26 July 2018 melbourne press club 29 March 2021 Nick McKenzie accepts the 2020 Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award youtube Retrieved 18 March 2023 Kennedy Prize for Journalist of the Year 2020 TPG Telecom Kennedy Prize winner for Australian Journalist of the Year Nick McKenzie Retrieved 18 March 2023 a b Mediaweek 8 November 2020 Kennedy Awards 33 winners from Nine News Corp Seven ABC amp more Mediaweek Retrieved 30 April 2021 a b Berry Jamie 12 August 2022 Kennedy Awards Nick McKenzie takes top honour for SMH AGE reporting The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 13 August 2022 a b Graham Jackson 13 August 2022 Age s Nick McKenzie wins journalist of the year at NSW awards The Age Retrieved 13 August 2022 a b Best Coverage of an Issue or Event Melbourne Press Club Retrieved 15 April 2014 a b Quill awards 2011 Monash University Gold Quill Melbourne Press Club Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 22 October 2015 Crown Unmasked Nick McKenzie Nick Toscano and Grace Tobin The Walkley Foundation Retrieved 3 November 2020 Ben Roberts Smith Top Australian soldier loses war crimes defamation case BBC Retrieved 1 June 2023 Outstanding Alumni RMIT University 25 May 2015 Retrieved 3 January 2021 McKenzie Nick Nick McKenzie website McClymont Kate Talk about the pot calling the kettle black Sydney Morning Herald a b Parliamentary Library Australia s Efforts Against Foreign Bribery An Update Australian Parliament House Australian Parliament House Retrieved 22 October 2015 Letts Stephen 28 November 2018 How the RBA scandal unfolded ABC News Australia Retrieved 5 November 2020 Eltham Ben 13 September 2012 A Grubby Trail of Plastic Money New Matilda Retrieved 21 October 2015 Millar Benjamin 28 November 2013 The Age wins Walkley Awards The Age Retrieved 5 February 2020 Bourne James Treat customs officials like corrupt police Jason Clare Australian Broadcasting Corp Lee Jane McKenzie Nick and Baker Richard 12 April 2012 Church s suicide victims The Age Retrieved 5 February 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link McIlroy Tom 17 April 2012 Baillieu announces inquiry into church sexual abuse The Courier Retrieved 5 February 2020 Le Grand Chip Dank swears peptides were permitted The Australian Branley the Specialist Reporting Team s Alison 14 March 2019 You d be forgiven for having royal commission fatigue but this one s important Here s why ABC News Retrieved 5 February 2020 Kissane Karen 27 February 2008 Benbrika boasted of threats court told The Age Retrieved 5 February 2020 BBC News 8 October 2014 HK leader given secret payment by Australian firm BBC Retrieved 31 October 2015 Thomas Natalie Amec Foster Wheeler Shares Drop 10 on SFP Probe Financial Times Retrieved 12 July 2017 Monaco s Ahsani brothers plead guilty in U S to vast bribery scheme Reuters 30 October 2019 Retrieved 5 February 2020 a b Interference journalists win 2019 Lowy Institute Media Award About the ABC Retrieved 6 February 2020 a b The Lowy Institute Media Award Lowy Institute www lowyinstitute org Retrieved 6 February 2020 a b How much money have Chinese businesses donated to Australian political parties NewsComAu 6 June 2017 Retrieved 6 February 2020 Sam Dastyari resignation How we got here www abc net au 12 December 2017 Retrieved 5 November 2020 Dziedzic foreign affairs reporter Stephen 18 February 2019 ASIO denies discrimination after stripping Chinese billionaire s permanent residency ABC News Retrieved 6 February 2020 Whitbourn Michaela Court throws out truth defence in Chau Chak Wing s defamation case Retrieved 31 August 2018 Pelly Michael Chau Chak Wing wins 280 000 in defamation case v two former Fairfax Media papers Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 22 February 2019 60 Minutes Australia 28 July 2019 EXCLUSIVE Crown Casino exposed Sex trafficking drugs money laundering youtube Retrieved 19 March 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Democracy s Watchdogs 27 October 2019 Nick McKenzie Profile youtube Retrieved 18 March 2023 Crown casino inquiry gets underway in Sydney ABC Radio 21 January 2020 Retrieved 6 February 2020 Hatch Patrick 16 October 2020 Crown hasn t reviewed China disaster because of legal risk says Coonan The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 3 November 2020 Davies Anne 21 January 2020 Crown Resorts may have breached casino licence over proposed share deal with Melco inquiry hears The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 6 February 2020 a b c Llanbey Sumeyya McKenzie Nick Tozer Joel 14 June 2020 Calls for investigation into factional powerbroker Adem Somyurek The Age Nine Entertainment Co Retrieved 14 June 2020 Terminated Andrews sacks Somyurek Albanese moves to kick him out of party The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 15 June 2020 Adem Somyurek quits Labor Party after 60 Minutes airs allegations of branch stacking offensive language ABC News 15 June 2020 Retrieved 15 June 2020 Millar Royce and McKenzie Nick 22 November 2010 Revealed How the ALP keeps secret files on voters The Age Retrieved 5 February 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Campbell James 23 April 2013 Greens party candidate Fraser Brindley charged with alleged hacking of ALP electoral database Herald Sun Retrieved 13 June 2020 Age journos admit fault in hacking case www heraldsun com au 5 August 2013 Retrieved 16 June 2020 a b Vic journalists avoid database conviction SBS News Retrieved 6 February 2020 Akerman Pia Age journalists plead guilty to avoid conviction The Australian Ackerman Pia 22 May 2014 Age journalists plead guilty to avoid conviction Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 18 October 2015 Ralston Nick Age journalists ordered to reveal sources The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 6 September 2013 Patrick Rex 4 December 2018 Adjournment Espionage and Foreign Interference Rex Patrick Rex Patrick Retrieved 27 January 2020 a b Journalists sources protected in crucial hearing MEAA Retrieved 5 February 2020 a b McCausland Sally Reputations in the courtroom Inside Story a b Barry Paul Media Watch Australian Broadcast Corp McCausland Sally Reputations in the courtroom Everything We Know About the Melbourne Underworld Lawyer Executed Behind his Brunswick Gelato Shop Vice News Russell Mark 9 December 2015 Alleged Mafia boss Antonio Madafferi loses court fight with The Age over sources The Age Retrieved 5 February 2020 a b Le Grand Chip Fairfax apology as businessman accused of mafia links drops case The Australian Cornwall Deborah ABC quietly settles Chinese student s defamation case The Australian 60 Minutes Australia 22 September 2019 Shocking allegations about elite Australian soldiers during Afghanistan war youtube Retrieved 18 March 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Masters Nick McKenzie Chris 15 December 2019 Police launch second war crimes investigation into Ben Roberts Smith The Age Retrieved 6 February 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b Australian Journalism Today Palgrave Macmillan Australia Retrieved 23 April 2014 Patrick Aaron 29 December 2020 The defamation trial of the century Financial Review Retrieved 3 January 2021 Ben Roberts Smith took the fight to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald it was a disastrous miscalculation SMH Retrieved 1 June 2023 Goldstein Matthew 1 December 2023 Australian Media Company to Pay Peter Schiff to End Defamation Suit The New York Times Archived from the original on 8 December 2023 Retrieved 8 December 2023 Consent Orders Peter David Schiff v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd ACN 008 685 407 and others named in the schedule Federal Court of Australia Retrieved 21 November 2023 Munster Winners PDF www uts edu au Australian Centre for Independent Journalism Retrieved 22 October 2015 Mediaweek 28 March 2021 Quill Awards winners for 2020 named by Melbourne Press Club Mediaweek Retrieved 30 April 2021 60 Minutes Australia 24 February 2021 The Faceless man Dark underbelly of Australian power exposed youtube Retrieved 18 March 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Nine News 60 Minutes honoured at Walkley Awards 20 November 2020 Retrieved 3 January 2021 68th Walkley Awards winners announced Walkley Awards Retrieved 2 December 2023 Extract from The Sting The Age Retrieved 15 April 2014 Wheeler Centre Nick McKenzie The Sting youtube Retrieved 18 March 2023 The Best Australian Business Writing 2012 NewSouth Books Retrieved 23 April 2014 What it was really like to report on Ben Roberts Smith Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 17 June 2023 External linksnickmckenzie com au Official website Nick McKenzie AU at youtube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nick McKenzie amp oldid 1189156532, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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