All Media: Business Journalism Winner

Morgan Mellish, The Australian Financial Review, “The Robert Gerard Tax Scandal”

When Australian Financial Review journalist Morgan Mellish revealed that South Australian businessman and Liberal Party donor Robert Gerard had been appointed to the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, despite accusations against him for tax evasion, it caused a political furore.

Three days after his investigation was published, Gerard was forced to resign his position and Treasurer Peter Costello was left facing intense pressure over the appointment.

Mellish’s research involved scouring through five court registries and sent a grave warning about vetting procedures for future nominees to senior government posts.

Mellish has worked as a journalist for 12 years at several outlets, including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Financial Review (AFR). He is currently the AFR’s Jakarta correspondent.

Judges’ comments
This was the first breaking story that seriously rocked the Howard government. It raised questions about links between powerful business interests and the upper levels of senior members of government. Mellish’s research was exceptional and continued to set the agenda on one of the biggest stories of the year – an outcome that ultimately resulted in Robert Gerard’s resignation.