(Photo: ABC)

Three journalists from Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC, have been jointly named Queensland Journalist of the Year at the 2022 Queensland Clarion Awards.

Anne Connolly and Stephanie Zillman (both pictured) and Ali Russell won for their Four Corners report, ‘State Control’.

The year-long investigation into Public Guardian and Trustee agencies around the country, which currently control the lives of around 50,000 Australians, led to a public apology from the Queensland State Government and has triggered two inquiries.

The judges said the work was rewarded not only for shining a light on the exploitation of vulnerable Queenslanders who placed their trust in a public institution, but also for the complexity and degree of difficulty in bringing the story to air.

In all, ABC journalists and teams won 11 awards at the Clarions, including for investigative and rural journalism, reporting on health and science and Indigenous issues, radio and TV news and current affairs, regional and community reporting, innovation and camerawork.

Ellie Grounds from ABC Western Queensland was named New Journalist of the Year.

The Queensland Clarion Awards are administered by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the union representing Australian journalists and media workers, among others.