UN recognises The Australian’s great reporting

Investigations by The Australian’s Paige Taylor and Michael McKenna have been acknowledged with a UN Association of Australia Media Peace Award.

Investigations by The Australian’s Paige Taylor and Michael McKenna into a young Aboriginal woman’s mysterious death in a remote West Australian watch-house have been acknowledged with a UN Association of Australia Media Peace Award.

Their series of exclusive reports broke through the silence of authorities over the death of the woman — now known for cultural reasons as Miss Dhu — in a Pilbara watch-house on August 4 last year. The reports revealed disturbing truths about Miss Dhu’s last days, exposed mishandling and delays in other death-in-custody cases and raised debate about high rates of Aboriginal fine defaulters jailed in Western Australia.

Premier Colin Barnett has since announced reforms aimed at the disproportionate rate of indigenous incarceration and deaths in custody. The reporters are also finalists in the Walkley Awards for the series.