Hedley Thomas
The Australian
"I believe that if there's a chance I can solve an unsolved (murder) case, so much better that I tackle that. I feel that the benefits for family, for the community, for the criminal justice system ultimately from an unsolved case being solved as a result of journalism are enormous."
Hedley Thomas’s journalism has a huge impact, often resulting in charges, inquiries and reforms. He has a unique style of in-depth immersion aimed at finding justice, most recently, for the relatives of unsolved murder cases.
Thomas, a multi-award-winning journalist, moved from print journalism to producing investigative podcast series that have achieved record audience numbers. The Teacher’s Pet, Shandee’s Story, The Night Driver and Bronwyn have attracted more than 100 million downloads.
Career Timeline
1984: Thomas graduates from Kendra Park State High School and starts work aged 17 as a copyboy at the Gold Coast Bulletin.
1985: Starts a journalism cadetship and begins covering sports events.
1986: Covers police rounds on the Gold Coast. He sleeps with a police scanner.
1988: Thomas moves from Southport to Brisbane as a general news reporter on The Courier-Mail. He breaks stories on police corruption, which is being scrutinised by the Fitzgerald Inquiry.
1989-91: Thomas, 22, is posted to News Limited’s London Bureau as a foreign correspondent for the group’s Australian newspapers. He covers the Eastern Bloc’s rejection of communism including the fall of the Berlin Wall; Romania’s revolution, Margaret Thatcher’s resignation as Prime Minister, the pursuit of Christopher Skase, and major sporting events. Goes to Jordan and Israel to report on the first Gulf war.
1991: Thomas returns to The Courier-Mail in Brisbane as an investigative reporter. He sparks a royal commission into a car stealing racket.
1993: Moves to Hong Kong with his girlfriend journalist Ruth Mathewson. Appointed news editor at the Hong Kong Standard. Soon after both move to the South China Morning Post where he becomes chief reporter and Mathewson holds the same position with its Sunday paper.
1995: Thomas is promoted to deputy features editor and continues to do investigations and feature stories.
1999: Resigns from The South China Morning Post, returning to Brisbane with his now wife Mathewson and young son. Joins The Courier-Mail as an investigative journalist and features writer.
2001: Thomas investigates the disappearance and alleged murder of Lynette Dawson, wife of former footballer, Chris Dawson.
2002: A gunman under cover of darkness fires four bullets at Thomas’s house. Police investigate suspects based on his reporting but the shooting remains unsolved.
2003: Thomas breaks an award-winning series of stories about Di Fingleton, Queensland’s embattled Chief Magistrate.
2005: He reveals Dr Jayant Patel, a senior surgeon banned from practice in the US, was appointed as director of surgery in Queensland where he is linked to patient injuries and deaths.
2006: Appointed national chief correspondent at The Australian.
2007: Sick To Death, a book about Patel and systemic failures in the health system is published. Thomas exposes a wrongful campaign by the federal government and federal police to link Gold Coast doctor Mohamed Haneef to a terrorist plot. Wins a Gold Walkley for his stories.
2008: Thomas quits journalism to work for Queensland Gas Company (later BG Group) as a general manager in charge of communications, brand and investor relations.
2010: Missing journalism he returns to The Australian as an investigative reporter.
2012: He is awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Journalism from Jschool in Brisbane. Wins Queensland Journalist of the Year for reporting on the Brisbane River flood the previous year.
2013: Thomas investigates then Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s role in helping set up a union slush fund for her then boyfriend.
2017: Thomas starts research for his first podcast, The Teacher’s Pet, about the murder of Lyn Dawson by her husband Chris in 1982.
2018: The podcast goes to no.1 in Australia, USA, Canada, UK and New Zealand as it uncovers new evidence and witnesses. Dawson is charged with murder. Thomas wins Gold Walkley for The Teacher’s Pet. Thomas is inducted into the Australian Media’s Hall of Fame.
2020: Thomas is cross examined for three days in the Supreme Court of New South Wales as lawyers for Dawson argue that he cannot get a fair trial due to widespread notoriety of the podcast.
Thomas investigates the disappearance of Janine Vaughan for a new podcast series, The Night Driver.
2021: Thomas researches the murder of Shandee Blackburn, 23, for a new podcast series, Shandee’s Story.
2022: Shandee’s Story exposes the failure of Queensland’s DNA laboratory to find DNA in thousands of violent crimes from murders to rapes and serious assaults. The scandal triggers a royal commission. Chris Dawson convicted of his wife Lyn’s murder.
2023: In a sequel podcast, Shandee’s Legacy, more failures by the DNA laboratory in Queensland are revealed. Another royal commission inquiry is called. Thomas wins the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award. Thomas writes The Teacher’s Pet, a memoir about journalism and his pursuit of a coldblooded killer.
2024: Thomas investigates the disappearance of young mother, Bronwyn Winfield, for his new podcast series, called Bronwyn. He finds new witnesses, prompting police to restart investigations and interview fresh witnesses.
Awards
1999: Walkley (with Paul Whittaker), investigative reporting.
2003: Walkley, newspaper feature writing.
2005: Walkley, news report. Sir Keith Murdoch Award; Queensland Premier’s Literary Award.
2007: Gold Walkley, Walkley, print news report.
2012: Queensland Journalist of the Year.
2013: Sir Keith Murdoch Award.
2018: Gold Walkley (with Slade Gibson); Walkley (with Slade Gibson), investigative journalism. Inducted into Australian Media’s Hall of Fame.
2022: Walkley (with David Murray, Isaac Irons & Slade Gibson), investigative journalism. Sir Keith Murdoch Award
2023: Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award
Books
Sick to Death
Podcasts
The Teacher’s Pet, The Teacher’s Trial, The Teacher’s Accuser, Shandee’s Story, Shandee’s Legacy, The Night Driver, Bronwyn.