Michael Gordon was one of Australia’s most respected and accomplished political journalists with a deep commitment to human rights and social justice.
A former political editor at both The Age and The Australian, his ground-breaking coverage of Indigenous affairs and the treatment of asylum seekers was recognised with multiple awards.
Gordon died after suffering a heart attack while competing in an ocean swim at Phillip Island in February 2018.
He joined The Age as a cadet journalist at the age of 17 and spent 37 years at the paper rising to become editor of the Saturday edition. He was The Age’s national political editor from 2013 to 2017.
In the late 1980s, he served as New York correspondent for the Melbourne Herald and was national political editor of The Australian from 1994 and 1998.
He was also an accomplished sports journalist and author, with a passion for surfing and the Hawthorn Football Club.
Gordon was named the 2006 Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year and won two Walkley Awards, one for his outstanding contribution to journalism. He was awarded five United Nations Association media peace prizes.
His six books included A Question of Leadership: Paul Keating Political Fighter – first published by Queensland University Press in 1993 and twice updated and republished.