Stuart Kavanagh

Currently I am based in Mildura, Victoria, working for The Mildura News as part of News Corp’s Herald Sun network. I cover the courts, crime, politics, and community issues that shape life in north-west Victoria, with my work often picked up by the Herald Sun and other mastheads across Australia. My role is to be the first port of call for news in Sunraysia and the Mallee, telling stories that matter to my community while making sure they resonate with a wider state and national audience.

My career didn’t begin in a newsroom. I started out on the factory floor in South Australia’s car industry, working at Holden during the final years of local automotive manufacturing. When the industry shut down, I decided to go back to university and chase the ambition I’d had since I was a kid: to become a journalist. I graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2018, determined to make my mark in a new field.

I cut my teeth in sports journalism, writing about the English Premier League for The Sports Bank and co-hosting a podcast called After Extra Time. I contributed to Edge of the Crowd, covering football, cricket, and pop culture, and even built a 70-day content calendar for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Those years taught me how to connect with audiences and sharpened my skills in producing engaging digital content.

In 2022, I made the move into regional reporting when I joined the Barrier Truth in Broken Hill. As senior journalist, I covered everything from politics and health to crime and sport. I also expanded the paper’s reach by creating The Wrap, a weekly video news bulletin, and co-hosting Red Dirt Round Up, a podcast dedicated to local sport.

At the Barrier Truth, I often acted as editor in the chief’s absence, which gave me the chance to lead the newsroom and mentor younger reporters. During my time there, the paper won four awards at the 2023 Country Press NSW Awards, including Best Front Page for our coverage of the Menindee mass fish kill. Judges described that front page as a “clear winner,” and I’m proud to have contributed to the editorial direction that earned such recognition.

When I left Broken Hill in late 2023, I wrote a farewell column reflecting on how much the city had meant to me. It wasn’t just a place to work; it was a community that constantly inspired me, and it shaped me into the reporter I am today.

Since 2024 I’ve been based in Mildura, reporting for The Mildura News and feeding into the Herald Sun. My patch covers the courts, community events, local politics, and breaking news. I deal with tough, often sensitive cases, and I take pride in reporting them accurately, responsibly, and in a way that captures readers’ attention without losing sight of fairness.

In this role, I’ve become the go-to journalist for news across the Sunraysia and Mallee. My stories don’t just inform the local audience; they also travel across the News Corp network, making sure the issues faced in regional Victoria are seen and heard more widely.

Journalism, for me, is about telling the stories that matter — whether that’s breaking a big court case, exposing local issues, or highlighting the achievements of people in my community.