Veteran Reporter's Tenacity Rewarded at Top Awards
In a stunning sweep of the Western Australian Media Awards, 7NEWS Perth senior reporter Geof Parry has been celebrated for his exceptional journalism, taking home the top honour of joint WA Journalist of the Year. The awards night served as a powerful endorsement of public interest reporting, with Parry's dogged investigation into the Nicheliving property collapse standing out as a prime example of the craft.
A Clean Sweep for Television News
The 7NEWS Perth team dominated the television categories entirely. Alongside Parry's wins, journalist Nick Overall and camera operator Simon Hydzik were recognised for their compelling video feature, “Inside Shincheonji: Devotion and Deception”. However, the spotlight shone brightest on Geof Parry, who first secured the TV News Reporting award before being named joint WA Journalist of the Year.
Parry's winning investigation meticulously exposed the troubling practices of Nicheliving. His reports revealed how hundreds of paying customers were left in financial and emotional distress, stuck with unfinished homes. Meanwhile, the company’s managing director, Ronnie Michel-Elhaj, was found to be continuing work on his own luxury property.
Confrontation and Consequences
What set Parry's work apart was his unwavering commitment to seeking answers directly from the source. He was one of the few journalists willing to confront Ronnie Michel-Elhaj personally, and he did so repeatedly. His patience was tested during a stakeout at a Perth restaurant, where he captured the executive's true character.
The pursuit reached a dramatic peak when Parry and his cameraman approached Michel-Elhaj outside a construction site in Applecross owned by his wife. The situation escalated rapidly into a tense confrontation where the Nicheliving director lashed out. Parry and his colleague held their ground, and the incident subsequently made national headlines.
The fallout was significant. WA Premier Roger Cook publicly defended Parry, stating, “violence is never OK, but we particularly deplore the fact of someone going about their work... Geof and his camera team were simply asking questions consistent with their job.”
This was no one-off event. Parry’s investigation stretched over months, consistently amplifying the voices of the victims—retirees who had lost their life savings and young couples saddled with mortgages on half-built homes. His reporting exposed unsafe and abandoned building sites, which triggered a WorkSafe inspection within 24 hours and ultimately forced decisive government action.
The WA Media Awards judges praised the work as “tenacious and courageous reporting that held powerful figures to account, prompted government intervention and the suspension of the company’s licence, ultimately leading to legislative change.”
Parry shared the Daily News Centenary Prize for Journalist of the Year with Alicia Hanson and Nadia Mitsopoulos from ABC Radio, recognising their combined coverage of the Nicheliving collapse and its profound public impact.
A Career Built on Ethics
The win crowns a remarkable career for Parry that spans nearly five decades. In his acceptance speech, he offered sage advice to aspiring journalists in the room, emphasising, “It’s called ethics. And there’s a code in our industry. You should read it, and you should stick by it.” He also paid tribute to the camera operators who work alongside reporters, including Christian Rudd, who won the TV Camerawork category for his role in capturing the pivotal confrontation.
