WAtoday reporter Carla Hildebrandt has won the Arthur Lovekin Prize for Excellence in Journalism and the news award at the WA Media Awards, recognised for her investigation into an NDIS provider network and a report on the final months of Virginia Giuffre's life.
Hildebrandt's Arthur Lovekin Prize was awarded for her investigation into how a banned South African director built an NDIS empire despite regulatory failures. The probe covered a South African couple who left behind a collapsed real estate business after client trust money was allegedly moved into other accounts, who were operating a network of NDIS-approved companies and a charity in Australia.
She also took home the news award, alongside Melissa Fyfe, for their report covering the final months of the life of Virginia Giuffre, who made global headlines for her fight against her sexual abusers among the wealthy elite, all detailed in a bestselling memoir.
"Returning to work as a new mum has had its challenges, but I think it has made me a better journalist in ways I didn't expect," Hildebrandt said. "I'm thankful for the flexibility and understanding that's helped me to keep telling stories I really care about."
Hildebrandt's two awards capped a successful night for Nine, the owner of this masthead, with several other major prizes taken out by employees of the group. Nine's Connor McGoverne and Owen Leonard claimed the Gilmour-Christian Prize for best sport report for their coverage of the state government's failed push to host a landmark clash between Italian football giants AC Milan and Como in February at Optus Stadium. The match-up was set to be the first European league match played for points on foreign soil, and was in October last year "reluctantly approved" by the continent's governing body UEFA, but was eventually called off after FIFA declined to give the event the final seal of approval.
Jesinta Burton, Mark Wembridge and Mark Di Stefano from the Australian Financial Review, also owned by Nine, took out the award for best legal affairs coverage for their report detailing how a bitter office renovation dispute snowballed into the unravelling of billionaire mining boss Chris Ellison and his company, Mineral Resources.
In other major awards, the West Australian Journalist of the Year gong went to Roz Thomas from the Weekend Australian Magazine, while the Clarion Award for outstanding contribution to journalism went to John Flint from the West Australian.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Recognises the impact of investigative journalism that exposed regulatory failures in the NDIS, a program affecting thousands of Australians with disabilities.
- Highlights the role of local media in holding powerful individuals and systems to account, with Hildebrandt's work on the Giuffre report detailing a significant global story of abuse and justice.
- Demonstrates Nine's strength in WA journalism, with multiple awards underscoring the group's investment in local reporting.
Background
The WA Media Awards, run by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, are the state's annual journalism awards. The Arthur Lovekin Prize for Excellence in Journalism is among the top honours, named after a former editor of the West Australian. Hildebrandt's NDIS investigation examined a couple who, after a collapsed real estate business, operated NDIS-approved companies and a charity in Australia despite regulatory oversight failures.
Key Perspectives
Carla Hildebrandt: said that returning to work as a new mum has had its challenges, but that it has made her a better journalist in ways she didn't expect, adding that she is thankful for the flexibility and understanding that helped her keep telling stories she cares about.
What to Watch
- Whether Hildebrandt's NDIS investigation prompts regulatory action or further scrutiny of the provider network she exposed.
- The response from the Western Australian government or federal NDIS authorities to the findings of her reporting.
- Future awards for Nine's WA journalists, following the group's strong showing at the 2026 ceremony.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedCarla Hildebrandt won two awards at the WA Media Awards.WA Today - Latest News: “From NDIS exposé to Giuffre report: WAtoday journalist scores double win at WA Media Awards.”
- SupportedHildebrandt won the Arthur Lovekin Prize for her investigation into a banned South African director building an NDIS empire despite regulatory failures.WA Today - Latest News: “Hildebrandt claimed the prized award for her investigation into how a banned South African director built an NDIS empire despite regulatory failures.”
- SupportedHildebrandt also won the news award with Melissa Fyfe for their report on the final months of Virginia Giuffre’s life.WA Today - Latest News: “Hildebrandt also took home the news award, alongside Melissa Fyfe, for their report covering the final months of the life of Virginia Giuffre.”
- SupportedThe NDIS investigation covered a South African couple whose collapsed real estate business followed the alleged movement of client trust money into other accounts, and who operated NDIS-approved companies and a charity in Australia.WA Today - Latest News: “The report covered a South African couple who left behind a collapsed real estate business after client trust money was allegedly moved into other accounts, who were operating a network of NDIS-approved companies and a charity in Australia.”
- SupportedHildebrandt said returning to work as a new mum had its challenges but had made her a better journalist in unexpected ways.WA Today - Latest News: ““Returning to work as a new mum has had its challenges, but I think it has made me a better journalist in ways I didn’t expect,” Hildebrandt said.”
- SupportedHildebrandt said flexibility and understanding had helped her keep telling stories she cared about.WA Today - Latest News: ““I’m thankful for the flexibility and understanding that’s helped me to keep telling stories I really care about.””
- SupportedHildebrandt’s two awards capped a successful night for Nine, which owns the masthead, with several other major prizes going to group employees.WA Today - Latest News: “Hildebrandt’s two awards capped a successful night for Nine , the owner of this masthead, with several other major prizes taken out by employees of the group.”
- SupportedNine’s Connor McGoverne and Owen Leonard won the Gilmour-Christian Prize for best sport report for coverage of the state government’s failed push to host AC Milan and Como at Optus Stadium in February.WA Today - Latest News: “Nine’s Connor McGoverne and Owen Leonard claimed the Gilmour-Christian Prize for best sport report for their coverage of the state government’s failed push to host a landmark clash between Italian football giants AC Milan and Como in February at Optus Stadium.”
- SupportedThe proposed match was set to be the first European league match played for points on foreign soil.WA Today - Latest News: “The historic match-up was set to be the first European league match played for points on foreign soil”
- SupportedUEFA reluctantly approved the proposed match in October last year.WA Today - Latest News: “and was in October last year “reluctantly approved” by the continent’s governing body UEFA.”
- SupportedThe planned fixture was called off after FIFA declined to give it final approval.WA Today - Latest News: “However, the planned fixture was eventually called off after the sport’s governing body FIFA declined to give the event the final seal of approval.”
- SupportedJesinta Burton, Mark Wembridge and Mark Di Stefano of the Australian Financial Review won the best legal affairs coverage award for their report on the office renovation dispute and its consequences for Chris Ellison and Mineral Resources.WA Today - Latest News: “Jesinta Burton, Mark Wembridge and Mark Di Stefano from the Australian Financial Review, also owned by Nine , took out the award for best legal affairs coverage for their report detailing how a bitter office renovation dispute snowballed into the unravelling of billionaire mining boss Chris Ellison and his company, Mineral Resources.”