The award-winning stories from Age reporters
The Age has once again scooped the pool at the annual Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism. Read the stories and see the images and projects that have been recognised at this year’s Quills.
Exclusive
‘Stick to the code’: New tapes reveal Ben Roberts-Smith’s campaign to silence soldiers
Police have submitted fresh evidence against the now-disgraced war hero as a number of those closest to him have now provided proof of his attempts to cover up his murders in Afghanistan.
- by Nick McKenzie
Exclusive
‘You machine-gunned that guy’: A witness tells his truth of day he will never forget
Dean Tilley thought he would die in the mud during a firefight in Afghanistan. Instead, he saw another man murdered. Telling his story would bring its own dangers.
- by Nick McKenzie
What it was really like to report on Ben Roberts-Smith
Crossing the Line tells the story of how the Walkley Award winner exposed Ben Roberts-Smith and fought the biggest defamation court case in Australian history.
- by Nick McKenzie
Talking trans: Adolescents, gender transition and the conversations we need to have
The genie’s not going back in the bottle. We need to talk more openly and with more nuance about these questions, with the human beings involved at the centre.
- by Michael Bachelard
Graphic content
He texted Holly that he’d done ‘the most heinous thing possible’. A jury disagreed
For sexual assault complainants like law student Holly, the legal process remains brutal and unsatisfactory. Many argue it’s time for a full rethink.
- by Melissa Fyfe and Jacqueline Maley
Exclusive
Nicole called an ambulance for help. She ended up shackled to a bed
Nicole Lee says being restrained to a hospital bed for six hours as an incomplete quadriplegic is evidence the practice is over-used.
- by Charlotte Grieve
Deformed, shocked, unable to walk: When foot surgery goes wrong
This investigation has interviewed patients around the country about experiences with podiatric surgeons. All say they had no idea these surgeons were not medical doctors.
- by Charlotte Grieve
The NDIS saved Angelique’s family. But in another world, she would not have needed it
NDIS 2.0 will aim to establish a new disability system that picks up children’s developmental challenges earlier and delivers a range of supports at home, childcare or school.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
Neo-Nazi salutes at protest could prompt changes to anti-vilification laws
About 30 people from a neo-Nazi group marched along Spring Street on Saturday afternoon, repeatedly performing the Nazi salute at an anti-transgender rights rally.
- by Simone Fox Koob and Roy Ward
Updated
Erin Patterson charged with three murders, five attempted murders in mushroom death probe
Patterson was at the centre of an investigation into the mushroom meal that is suspected to have killed three people in Victoria’s south-east.
- by Marta Pascual Juanola, Lachlan Abbott and Chris Vedelago
Exclusive
Melbourne’s alleged new crime boss unmasked
The suspected puppet master accused of being behind the city’s tobacco war firebombings, a gangland hit and a plot to steal a corpse can now be identified for the first time.
- by Chris Vedelago
Explainer
It can stop you breathing more than 100 times an hour. What’s sleep apnoea?
Sometimes the silence can be more alarming than the snoring – as the bed partners of people with apnoea will know. Why are sleepers left gasping for breath, and how does everyone get a good night’s rest?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
‘A battery in a rock’: the ancient treasures kilometres under the sea
As scientists find wonders on the deepest seabeds, miners and governments are looking at other riches – metals used in green technologies. What’s at stake way down beneath the waves?
- by Sherryn Groch
Opinion
The nation said No. So what do I say to my kids?
As millions of Australians cast their vote on Saturday, my concern was how I’d explain the nation’s decision to my kids if the Voice was rejected. I am now faced with this reality.
- by Jack Latimore
Gallery: Fighting not sinking
Age photographer Eddie Jim captures a paradise under threat as the Kioan Climate Emergency Declaration is held on Kioa Island, Fiji.
How Effie left the land of Plenty
“When Paul was taking his last breaths, Effie went and found the newspaper story you wrote about their life, and laid it over his body like a shroud.”
- by Justin McManus
Investigation
Flood fury: The Maribyrnong River disaster
In this series of articles, The Age delves into the failings surrounding the Maribyrnong River October 2022 flood and Melbourne Water inquiry.
Investigation
The tax haven, the PO box, the tropical island: Who owns Australian soccer
The A-Leagues’ major shareholder owns its stake in Australian professional soccer via a series of offshore tax havens, including an infamous PO box in the Cayman Islands.
- by Ben Schneiders
Kerr calls for more funding in women’s football amid heartbreak semi-final loss
The Matildas captain wants this moment to be used as a catalyst for change in Australian soccer.
- by Marnie Vinall
Make or break: The perfect offside trap – and how to beat it
It’s an important tool in any team’s defensive arsenal - and, for strikers like Sam Kerr, a puzzle they have to solve in real time. This is how the offside trap works.
- by Vince Rugari, Richard Lama and The Visual Stories Team
Exclusive
From legal threats to pay offer in three days, but players reject Netball Australia offer
Australian netballers have rejected an interim deal for an immediate pay rise and back pay to Super Netball players, while Liz Ellis described the offer from Netball Australia as offensive.
- by Carla Jaeger
Updated
‘Let’s do this’: How netball’s historic pay deal was done
Three of the most senior women in Australian presented a united front on Wednesday, but the groundbreaking agreement does not wipe away the sport’s problems.
- by Carla Jaeger
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/the-award-winning-stories-from-age-reporters-20240315-p5fcuh.html