Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Fake news is cheap to produce, and too often genuine journalism is expensive. On this note, I rise to recognise Bruce Woolley, a highly respected foreign correspondent and lecturer at the University of Queensland, who recently put down his pen and announced his retirement from January next year. Bruce's contribution to the University of Queensland during these past six years follows an extensive career in journalism and media. Bruce worked extensively for the ABC and their Canadian counterpart, the CBC. He won awards from the Australian Journalists Association and the New York Festivals, including gold and silver medals as well as the Best of the Festival Grand Award. Bruce has been instrumental in improving and reporting the intercultural communication in developing countries by actually taking his students to Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Importantly, Bruce has also been assisting students in finding employment post graduation.

Bruce Woolley is a strong advocate for free press and was recognised by the University of Queensland with a teaching excellence award in 2017. Bruce may not be a household name synonymous with the investigative reporting that we hear about today, but he has been an integral part of UQ's fabric and, most importantly, has helped to develop so many emerging journalists who graduated from the university. I congratulate Bruce on his career, and I know the member for Moreton joins me in wishing him the best for his future endeavours.