In awarding her Journalist of the Year, the judges said: “Kathy McLeish is the reporter who initiated and drove the ABC television coverage that examined the closure of Queensland’s Barrett mental health facility for adolescents at risk of suicide, bringing an important but very painful issue to the forefront. In so doing she pushed the Queensland Government to announce a royal commission into the issue, as well as prompting an inquest into three deaths of young people who had been classed as suicide risks. Having gained the trust of the families involved Kathy worked tirelessly on a series of reports, which exposed flaws in the handling of the closure and the support offered. The investigation, which took months of tenacious digging for government information, plus extended interviews with distraught families, was an example of journalism at its best. It was not just great, it was outstanding."
Clarion Award 2015 - Journalist of the Year Kathy McLeish Interview from UQ Journalism & Communication on Vimeo.