Liz Jackson (Photo: ABC)
Former ABC journalist and presenter Liz Jackson died on Wednesday while on holidays in Greece with her husband, filmmaker Martin Butler. She was 67.
The Walkley Award-winning journalist, who left the ABC in 2013, had struggled with Parkinson’s disease.
A law graduate, she joined the ABC’s Radio National in 1986 and from 1993 worked on Four Corners. She presented Media Watch in 2005.
She won nine Walkley awards including the 2017 Documentary Award for the Four Corners program A Sense of Self, co-directed by Butler and Bentley Dean, which chronicled her battle with the disease.
“In many ways, this is the hardest film I’ve made, and I’ve made some tough ones over the years,” she said. “The response was overwhelming and I was touched so many people commented and congratulated me, saying it was amazing and fabulous and brave.
“This was a huge confidence boost, and from that I understood there was a large audience and hunger for stories that explored the adversity life can deliver, in a close and personal way.”
ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie said: “Liz Jackson was one of the greats of the ABC, an incredible journalist who inspired all around her and who Australians turned to with complete trust.
“Her work has informed and shaped this country. Her enormous talent, fearless integrity and unflinching courage will serve as a beacon for many generations of journalists and storytellers to come.”
ABC director of News Gaven Morris said: “You could not be around Liz without being fired by her passion and in awe of her courage. She had extraordinary talent as a storyteller, accompanied by a deep humility. Liz leaves a momentous legacy. We will never forget her.”
In a statement to the ABC her family said: “She is deeply loved. We are overwhelmed with grief at her loss. Liz was an inspiration to many and a legendary figure at the ABC, committing her life to public interest journalism. We are enormously proud of her work.”
She is survived by Butler and their two children, Rose and Joe.