Nick McKenzie of The Age has won the 49th Graham Perkin Award.
This is Nick’s third Perkin – he and Richard Baker won the award in 2017, and in his own right in 2020 and, now, 2024. No one in the 49-year-history of the Perkin has won it three times. The only two-time Perkin winners are Paul McGeough (1997 and 2004) and Andrew Rule (1996 and 2001)
The award was presented at the 30th Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism at Crown Palladium on 21 March 2025.
Judges' citation
Nick’s body of work during 2024 was extraordinary in its breath and its impact led by his pivotal role in breaking the biggest local story of the year - the endemic corruption and thuggery inside the country’s most militant union, the CFMEU.
Nick’s exposure of the rotten heart of the CFMEU, using secret videos, microphones and through finding whistleblowers willing to go on camera required enormous courage and persistence. It was a story which saw Nick threatened repeatedly, with his family forced at one stage to leave their homes. It led to the resignation of its leader John Setka, the union being placed into administration and multiple investigations by state and federal agencies. This was courageous and groundbreaking investigative journalism at its finest which resulted in a tangible public benefit.
The winning entry
Other 49th Perkin award finalists
John Lyons, ABC News
Chris Reason, 7NEWS
- The Devil's Outback Playground, 7News, 15 February 2024
Ben Schneiders, The Age