Day: March 25, 2025

ABC wins seven awards at 2025 Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards

Congratulations to all the ABC finalists at the Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards.

ABC journalists and teams won seven awards and nine more were highly commended.

The ABC winners were Rebecca Symons and Harrison Tippet (Regional and Rural Journalism), Stephanie Ferrier (Radio News), Danny Tran (Sport News), Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett (TV/Video Feature), Andy Burns, Charlotte King and Jess Davis (Science, Medical and Health Reporting),  Alex Lim (Innovation in Journalism) and Lily Kristanto (Multicultural Affairs and Media).

Full list of ABC finalists and winners:

Best Breaking News or Live Coverage

  • ABC Radio Melbourne Drive, ABC News, “Melbourne Drive covers the CrowdStrike Crash”
  • ABC News Victoria, ABC News, “Victorian fires and storms – February 2024” HIGHLY COMMENDED

Business News/Feature

 Coverage of Women in Sport

  • Jeremy Story Carter, ABC News, “She can play” HIGHLY COMMENDED

Excellence in Indigenous Affairs Reporting

Excellence in Science, Medical and Health Reporting

  • Andy Burns, Charlotte King, and Jess Davis,Landline and ABC News Online, “After The Harvest” WINNER

Judges’ citation: Among a very high standard of entries, After the Harvest was a standout. Burns, King and Davis presented a compelling brief of evidence about the use of the agricultural chemical Paraquat, while telling a powerful human story of a farming community experiencing a cluster of Parkinson’s disease. The use of archival footage and historic photos alongside contemporary lived experience of users of Paraquat greatly strengthened the story. The journalists’ rebuttal of complaints challenging the evidence, and the review of their work by external authorities who found no basis to the complaints, added another layer of confirmation to the story. After the Harvest is evidence-based story telling at its best.

Grant Hattam Quill for Investigative Journalism

  • Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett, ABC Online, “The Dark Side of Medicine” HIGHLY COMMENDED
  • Louise Milligan and Amy Donaldson, Four Corners and ABC News, “Old School”

Innovation in Journalism

Judges’ citation: This innovative piece exemplifies digital innovation in journalism through its creative use of computational methods and engaging storytelling. Alex Lim used AI and image recognition software to visually analyse hundreds of AFL players’ hairstyles but also used TikTok effectively to share this Australian cultural phenomenon. His computational approach transformed a manually impossible task into an efficient data collection process, while TikTok demonstrated the story’s skilful adaptation for social media platforms. The story’s success is evident in its broad appeal, engaging readers regardless of their interest in AFL or hairstyles. By applying data journalism techniques to pop culture, the piece achieved that rare combination of technical excellence, editorial innovation, and genuine audience engagement.

Keith Dunstan Quill for Commentary

Multicultural Affairs and Media

Judges’ citation: Lily Kristanto’s stark story provides insights into the exploitation within Australia’s working holiday visa program, sparking discussions on foreign labor abuse. It excels in simplifying a complex issue for a broad audience. It was framed in a compelling way to reveal how the scheme is abused by unscrupulous operators. Telling such hidden stories requires building trust in diverse communities, and this is a fine example of how to achieve that goal for effective storytelling.

  • Richard Willingham, ABC News, “Victoria’s ambulance service accused of discrimination due to religious beard ban”

Radio Current Affairs

  • ABC Radio Melbourne Drive, ABC Radio Melbourne, “Melbourne Drive Forum: Violence Against Women – Finding the Solutions’’
  • ABC Radio Melbourne Mornings, ABC Radio Melbourne, “Triple 0 outage”
  • Charlotte King and Andy Burns, ABC News, “The price of freebirth” HIGHLY COMMENDED

Radio News

  • Nicole Asher, ABC News, “Sam Hibbins resigns following intern allegations” HIGHLY COMMENDED
  • Stephanie Ferrier, ABC News, “Land Forces Expo Protests” WINNER

Judges’ citation: In a strong field of entries, two stood out from the pack for very different reasons. One, an extraordinary exclusive which hastened the end a politician’s career. The other, a piece of compelling live reporting under immense pressure during running battles between police and protesters. After careful consideration of these outstanding entries, the judges selected Stephanie Ferrier’s gripping live crosses from the Land Forces protest as the winner. Steph’s story telling was concise, considered, and dramatic under great time and safety pressures; and had the listener right there with her. This is radio news at its absolute best.

  • Yvette Gray and Iskhandar Razak, ABC Radio Melbourne, “Blue Screen of Death”

 Regional and Rural Journalism

Judges’ citation: Diligent research and vigorous scrutiny of raw data in the best tradition of investigative journalism revealed that regional Victoria suffered higher rates of family violence than metropolitan areas. In the absence of official statistics separating regional levels of domestic incidents, Rebecca Symons and Harrison Tippet located, sorted and scrutinised more than 12,000 data points. They uncovered for the first time the disturbing heart of the story – that regional Victorians are 84% more likely to experience family violence, and the gap is growing. Their empathetic storytelling was strengthened by a powerful case study and enhanced with strong visuals. The story was used across all ABC platforms and was broadcast locally and nationally. This work won a category that included several outstanding entries that epitomised the strength of regional and rural journalism.

 Reporting on Disability Issues

Sports Feature

Sports News

Judges’ citation: Danny was a unanimous choice among judges for his exceptional story that showcased the finest elements of journalism: a determination to pull a thread and see what would be uncovered, a doggedness to hold not just people but organisations to account and a thoroughness to keep attacking the story from beginning to end despite myriad roadblocks. His exhaustive investigation brought about tangible change and was especially relevant considering the governance failures that have been exposed in gymnastics in Australia and abroad in recent years.

TV Camera Work (Creative)

  • Pete Healy, Landline, “Far Flung Dung” HIGHLY COMMENDED
  • Patrick Rocca, 7.30, “Rock Climbing Controversy”

TV/Video Feature

  • Nicole Asher and Rhiana Whitson, 7.30, “Fresh appeal for Robert Farquharson”
  • Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett, Four Corners, “Pain Factory” WINNER

Judges’ citation: Pain Factory was a harrowing, heartbreaking and riveting insight into Australia’s multi-billion-dollar pain industry. Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillet compellingly exposed the dangerous practices within the medical industry, supported by the powerful stories of patients, importantly backed up by exclusive data and expert analysis. The story has had significant impact: the Federal Health Minister ordered an urgent review, the TGA banned dangerous devices, subjected dozens of others to conditions and prompted class action law firms to investigate spinal injury claims.

“The Saints” by 9Podcasts exposes Australia’s shocking cult tragedy

A haunting new podcast, The Saints, is set to unravel one of Australia’s most shocking and heartbreaking stories: the tragic death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs. Since its revelation in 2022, the case of Elizabeth’s death at the hands of a religious cult in regional Queensland has stunned audiences worldwide, shedding light on the dangers of extreme religious groups.

At the heart of The Saints is a story of lost innocence, unwavering faith, and the fatal consequences of unchecked devotion. Elizabeth, who suffered from a treatable illness, was denied medical care by her parents and the members of their radical religious community, all of whom believed divine intervention would heal her. Her avoidable death led to one of Australia’s largest-ever mass trials, where 14 cult members – including her parents and brother – were found guilty of her tragic death.

This hard-hitting podcast is a joint investigation by A Current Affair and 9Podcasts, presented by award-winning journalist Pippa Bradshaw, whose extensive 15-year career in investigative reporting brings a uniquely insightful perspective. With over three years of in-depth research, Bradshaw delves into Elizabeth’s heartbreaking story, unraveling the series of failures that led to her death and exposing the dark history of the cult that took her life.

“This case is one of the most confronting but significant stories I’ve ever covered,” says Bradshaw.

“Sharing Elizabeth’s story in a podcast allows us to explore the complexities and shocking aspects of her case in more detail than ever before. My aim is to honour Elizabeth, shed light on the truth of her avoidable death, and address the many troubling questions that were left unanswered.”

The Saints takes listeners on a gripping journey through seven meticulously crafted episodes, which include exclusive interviews, harrowing police interrogations, and expert analysis. The podcast provides an intimate, chilling look into the cult’s operations—how its leader manipulated religious scripture to control followers, how new recruits were drawn in, and the broken families left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

Cameron Schoenfisch, whose son Lachlan was a convicted cult member, reflects on the profound trauma caused by the cult’s grip. “I can’t really convey our suffering and the cost and the trauma. We didn’t realise it could go so bad, so quick.”

In a warning to other parents, Schoenfisch adds, “Don’t let this happen to you. Don’t let this happen to your loved ones. Hold your children close and tell them you love them, because you never know when that’s going to be the last chance you get.”

Beyond its exploration of cult dynamics, The Saints raises important questions about potential systemic failures within Australia’s justice and child protection systems.

“The cult responsible for Elizabeth’s death is now locked behind bars, but critical questions remain,” says Bradshaw.

“Elizabeth was left in the care of a religious cult with known extreme and dangerous beliefs, and a mother who had previously confessed that she would continue to withhold vital medication from her daughter. Through the final episodes of this podcast, we seek to investigate whether systemic failures contributed to Elizabeth’s tragic death.”

The Saints is brought to life by an award-winning team renowned for their gripping, chart-topping true crime productions:

  • Executive Producer Jess Lodge – Creator of the internationally celebrated Hannah’s Story and the chart-topping The Ultimate Sacrifice.
  • Sound Designer & Editor Hannah Sterling – The creative force behind the hit investigative podcast Just Married: The Anthea Bradshaw Mystery.

Prepare to be captivated by The Saints, a podcast that digs deeper than headlines, revealing the heartbreaking and disturbing truth behind one of Australia’s most unsettling criminal cases.

The trailer is available now, with episodes streaming weekly from April 7 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.