Top honours for Gazette

The Warragul and Drouin Gazette took out top honours at the Rural Press Club of Victoria annual awards on Friday night, being named Media Outlet of the Year.
Judges praised The Gazette for "its fearless local reporting and strong connection to West Gippsland."
RPCV president Kellie Lazzaro said more than 130 people attended the prestigious event at the Melbourne Town Hall.
"For 60 years, the Rural Press Club of Victoria has championed the vital work of rural and regional journalists and photographers," Ms Lazzaro said.
"The breadth and calibre of entries this year showcased the strength of regional journalism and the essential role newsrooms play in informing and representing regional communities."
The milestone awards received 200 entries from journalists and news photographers across 60 newsrooms in rural and regional Victoria.
Other finalists in the Media Outlet of the Year category included ABC Goulburn Valley (highly commended), Geelong Advertiser, The Courier Ballarat and the Wimmera Mail-Times (all commended).
The judges loved the innovation and creativity shown by the Warragul and Drouin Gazette team in collaborating on the homelessness sleepout community initiative - "moving beyond traditional journalism boundaries in a clear and well-written way."
"The team's coverage of highly-contentious battery developments was even-handed, taking its role to inform and elevate local issues seriously.
"The outlet clearly celebrates and enjoys its local audience, and you can feel the respect The Gazette both shows its audience, and receives in return," judges said.