Tessa Akerman is a courts journalist at The Australian specializing in family law and culturally complex criminal cases. Her reporting frequently examines how judicial decisions intersect with public health outcomes and community welfare.
“The court’s role extends beyond interpreting laws – it shapes societal norms about responsibility,” Akerman noted in her analysis of the landmark smoking restriction case.
For recent work examples, see her coverage of child welfare rulings and forced marriage prosecutions.
We’ve followed Tessa Akerman’s work as a courts journalist at The Australian, where she has established herself as a meticulous reporter on legal proceedings impacting Australian families and communities. Her career trajectory reflects a deepening focus on intersectional issues within the judicial system, particularly cases involving child welfare, domestic violence, and culturally complex crimes. Over the years, Akerman has developed a reputation for balancing human-centric storytelling with rigorous legal analysis, making her a trusted voice in Australia’s media landscape.
This groundbreaking report detailed a family court ruling mandating parents to cease smoking near their six-year-old son and limit alcohol consumption. Akerman’s coverage went beyond the legal decision, contextualizing it within broader public health debates about secondary smoke exposure and parental responsibility. She interviewed pediatricians about the long-term impacts of early childhood smoke inhalation and highlighted the court’s reference to Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines. The article sparked national conversations about judicial intervention in lifestyle choices, with experts quoted calling it a “precedent for child-centric rulings.”
Akerman’s investigative piece examined a homicide case linked to an alleged forced marriage, tracing how community reporting mechanisms failed the victim. She obtained exclusive access to police affidavits showing how the victim had previously sought protection orders, which Akerman juxtaposed with statistics from the Australian Institute of Criminology about underreported forced marriages. The article’s timeline format effectively demonstrated systemic gaps in addressing cultural coercion, earning praise from anti-slavery advocacy groups and prompting parliamentary inquiries into modernization of Australia’s forced marriage laws.
Akerman consistently highlights cases where legal decisions impact multiple family generations. For example, her coverage of the smoking restriction order explored how grandparents’ visitation rights might be affected by the ruling. Pitches should emphasize cross-generational implications, particularly in Indigenous communities or migrant families navigating cultural norms within Australia’s legal framework.
Her forced marriage analysis paired individual narratives with hard data from the Australian Federal Police’s human trafficking reports. Successful pitches will combine anonymized case studies (with proper ethical clearances) and statistical trends from reputable sources like the Australian Bureau of Statistics or university research centers.
Akerman often returns to stories months after verdicts to assess real-world outcomes. A pitch about the implementation challenges of the smoking restriction order – how local health departments enforce such rulings – aligns with her proven interest in judicial efficacy.
While specific awards aren’t detailed in available sources, Akerman’s work is regularly cited in parliamentary debates and academic legal journals. Her forced marriage reporting was referenced in the Australian Law Reform Commission’s 2025 interim report on modern slavery legislation, underscoring her influence on policy discussions.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Courts, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
