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Hedley Thomas

Walkley Award winning writer for The Australian

Biographical Notes from The Walkley Awards website

2007 Gold Walkley - Print - Best News Report - Winner

Hedley Thomas, The Australian, "Dr Haneef"

In an outstanding career driven by investigative nous and the best principles of public service journalism,

Hedley Thomas has notched up numerous awards. His Walkley tally stands at four, and is capped off with this most deserved Gold Walkley.

Now one of Australia's most influential news leaders, Thomas started as a copyboy at The Gold Coast Bulletin and joined The Courier-Mail in 1988. He has worked in News Limited's London bureau and for the South China Morning Post. He joined The Australian's Brisbane bureau in 2006.

When Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef was arrested in Brisbane in early July on suspicion of terrorist links, Thomas cut through the spin and misleading leaks to reveal the shakiness of the Federal Police case.

Leading the way, he broke the news and exposed glaring mistakes in the authorities' handling of the case, forcing the Federal Government and the Australian Federal Police into embarrassing admissions.

Thomas went on to write more than 50,000 words on the case, drawing on documentation and confidential sources.

In the process he invigorated the ongoing debate about anti-terror laws and the public's right to know.

Thomas's work has been outstanding, even among the huge amount of world class journalism that has emerged from Queensland in recent years.

On a hunch – and a Google search – in 2005 he brought to light the fact that Jayant "Dr Death" Patel of Bundaberg hospital had been found guilty of gross negligence while working in the United States. Hedley's diligence forced the then premier, Peter Beattie, to mount an independent inquiry and a billion-dollar overhaul of Queensland's run-down health system. His article for The Courier-Mail, "Exposing a Sick System", earned him a Walkley and the Harry Williams award at the 2005 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.

Judges' comments

Nominated this year for Walkleys across business, print news and social equity, Thomas is a dogged, strong and brave reporter. His contributions across the board in Queensland have been so strong, he has changed the face of reporting there.

Thomas has made his mark in investigative and feature writing, achieving what we all want to do: breaking stories and having the rest of the media follow our lead.

Being an investigative journalist can be dangerous. It's a credit to him and his family that Thomas will not give up.

Hedley Thomas has made a difference, cutting through the political spin and refusing to accept an answer at face value.

He is proof of journalistic excellence.

Biographical Notes from The Walkley Awards website for 2005

Print: News Report Winner

Hedley Thomas, The Courier-Mail, "Exposing a Sick System"

On March 22, 2005, a Bundaberg MP told the Queensland parliament about concerns over an Indian-trained American surgeon. Queensland Health closed ranks. Guided by a hunch and a contact with a source, Hedley Thomas started his own investigating. A Google search uncovered that Dr Jayant Patel, Bundaberg's "Dr Death", had less than two years before been found guilty of "gross negligence" in the US and lost his practising licence.

Thomas broke the story on April 13 and kept it running. His efforts helped propel a Royal Commission into the systemic crisis in Queensland Health, toppling the Queensland health minister and getting a pledge from Premier Peter Beattie of up to $1billion to hire more doctors and nurses. Thomas' pursuit of the issue brought about a real and important change for the people of Queensland.

Thomas is the assistant editor of The Courier-Mail and has won two previous Walkley awards,
for feature writing in 2003 and for investigative reporting in 1999.

Judges' comments

The public benefit, and newsworthiness, of the uncovering of "Dr Death'' is unquestionable. This strong reporting, including the pursuit of the details of many individual cases, forced a government to act.