‘Designed to intimidate’: Police investigate targeting of journalist Nick McKenzie’s house
Nick McKenzie on the Today show on Friday morning
The home of Nine journalist Nick McKenzie has been targeted in a move he says was “designed to intimidate”.
Earlier in the month, an intruder climbed onto the roof of McKenzie’s house and attempted to disabled the CCTV system. Nobody was home at the time.
Victoria Police are investigating the incident, and have recovered CCTV footage of the suspect.
McKenzie told Today he has “strong suspicions” of who was responsible, and that it was a clear intimidation attempt.
“An offender entering or surveilling the property, getting onto the roof and doing certain things in a manner designed not just to mess with the system and the home, but to leave a message,” McKenzie said, adding he had “full confidence” in the police investigation.
McKenzie told the show this comes with his role.
“As an investigative reporter, you do lots of work, annoying lots of people. That’s the job,” he said.
In a piece published in The Age on Friday morning, editor Patrick Elligett noted hat McKenzie had “conducted extensive reporting on crime and corruption in the building industry and CFMEU over the past 18 months”, work that earned him the Gold Walkley award in 2024.
Last October, McKenzie wrote a piece for The Age that opened with: “When I tried to tally up the death and other violent threats I’ve copped while working as an investigative reporter for The Age, I quickly lost count.”
He revealed that he has had to “clear out of my house” on two separate occasions, on the advice of the police.
This follows the September sentencing of a Sydney man for the 2022 arson of the home of Jordan Shanks, an online political agitator who posts Youtube videos under the name ‘friendlyjordies’.
Police outside the Bondi house of Jordan Shanks, in November 2022
Shanks had posted videos containing allegations regarding the Alameddine crime family before his house was burned down in what his lawyer called a firebombing.
Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua, who is associated with the Alameddines, was charged with the arson in December 2023.
Last month he told a Coffs Harbour court he was hired “as some kind of muscle”.
