Donna Page is an investigative journalist at the Newcastle Herald specializing in local government accountability and public infrastructure oversight. Based in Australia, her work focuses on:
Effective pitches should:
Achievements: 2024 Walkley Award finalist, 2023 Kennedy Award winner, and creator of the Herald's first interactive public spending database.
technology startups, celebrity culture
Donna Page serves as an investigative journalist for the Newcastle Herald, Australia's premier regional news outlet covering New South Wales. With 15+ years experience, she's become a trusted voice in exposing financial mismanagement and holding local institutions accountable.
"Page's work combines forensic examination of public records with human-centered storytelling - her 2024 airport investigation exposed how financial decisions impacted both defense contracts and local employment."
This 2024 investigation revealed how airport executives sought to increase borrowing from $130M to $235M without public consultation. Page obtained internal memos showing plans to use defense tenant contracts as collateral, creating potential conflicts between commercial and national security interests. Her analysis of passenger projections versus actual traffic (showing 40% overestimation) became crucial evidence in subsequent parliamentary hearings.
Page's 2023 expose uncovered $58,000 expenditure on designer watches and spa packages for senior council staff. Through comparative analysis of 12 NSW local governments, she demonstrated how Newcastle's employee gifting budget exceeded similar-sized municipalities by 300%. The story prompted policy reforms and new transparency measures.
This 2024 piece combined archival research with whistleblower testimonies to trace how terminal construction costs ballooned from $110M to $163M. Page's timeline analysis revealed fee increases for board members coincided with project delays, raising governance concerns that led to two board resignations.
Page consistently covers municipal budgeting processes, procurement practices, and public asset management. Pitches should focus on:
- Unexplained variances in annual financial statements
- Contracting processes for major infrastructure projects
- Comparative analyses of regional spending patterns
Rationale: Her 2023 series on council Christmas expenditures demonstrated how micro-level spending reflects broader governance issues.
Priority areas include:
- Airport/port operations and defense partnerships
- Cost overruns in transportation projects
- Workforce impacts of infrastructure decisions
Rationale: The airport debt investigation showed her pattern of connecting financial decisions to community outcomes.
Page actively reports on:
- New auditing technologies for public records
- Whistleblower protection frameworks
- Citizen-led accountability initiatives
Rationale: Her 2024 coverage of open data platforms highlighted interest in tools enabling public oversight.
Recognized for Newcastle Airport financial series that prompted NSW Parliament inquiry. The Walkley judges noted "exceptional use of financial documents to reveal systemic governance failures."
Won for exposing misuse of ratepayer funds, leading to policy changes across 18 NSW councils. The Kennedy Awards specifically praised the "multi-council comparative analysis methodology."
