Jon Faine, Daniel Ziffer and Andy Burns, 774 ABC Melbourne have picked up a gong at the Victorian Legal Reporting Awards.

The team won Best Report on Radio for their story ‘Family Court crisis: Chief Justice breaks silence to slam government funding for Legal Aid’.

The report broke rare ground by getting the Chief Justice of the Family Court on air (and in studio) detailing severe problems in her court and other Family law jurisdictions because of Legal Aid shortages.

The Age, ABC TV, 774 ABC Melbourne, the Bendigo Advertiser and the Geelong Advertiser were among a diverse cross-section of winners recognised across 12 award categories.

Victoria Law Foundation Executive Director Joh Kirby commended the outstanding quality of the entries:

‘There was a high volume of entries, making the task of judging very difficult I congratulate all entrants for their hard work in conveying complex legal issues in a manner that is easy to understand by the general community.’

The Legal Reporting Awards are presented in partnership with the Supreme Court of Victoria. Entries were judged by a committee of representatives from Victoria’s courts, VCAT and media and communications experts.