Charlotte Grieve of, The Age has won the Reporting on Disability Issues Quill with “The disturbing treatment for mental health crises”.

This award is sponsored by the Victorian Government.

Judges’ citation

Disability advocate Nicole Lee was met with applause when she gave a speech to the Northern Hospital. Three years later she was being restrained as an inpatient in that very same facility.

Charlotte Grieve’s considered and respectful telling of Nicole Lee’s experience exposed a public hospital's willingness to use shackles on a patient undergoing a mental health crisis. The piece not only highlighted the trauma associated with the use of restraints in mental health settings but also unpacked the complexities involved in delivering on the promise made by the Victorian government to eliminate restraints in mental health facilities within 10 years.

Highly commended

Stephanie Convery, Guardian Australia, “‘Holding cell’: Melbourne family with disabled son stuck in ‘transitional’ housing for a decade”

Natassia Chrysanthos, The Age, “The NDIS has saved families. But in another world, they would not need it.” 

Shortlist

Grace Jennings-Edquist, ABC Everyday, “Navigating pregnancy and new motherhood with an invisible disability”