Matthew James Peacock (12 July 1952 – 30 October 2024) was an Australian television and radio journalist, correspondent and author who worked for the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

in their News and Current Affairs Department specialising in politics, environment and science. He later also served as a director on the

ABC Board The ABC Board is the body responsible for the operations of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Kim Williams is chair; David Anderson the managing director appointed by the board; Laura Tingle is a staff-elected member. The chair and oth ...

. He authored ''

Killer Company ''Killer Company: James Hardie Exposed'' is a 2009 Australian book by journalist Matt Peacock. Overview The book documents how the use of harmful asbestos fibre in building materials produced by James Hardie Industries "led to the deaths of thou ...

'', a critically lauded 2009 book on the

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

industry during that time.

Career

Born on 12 July 1952, Peacock began his career with the ABC in 1973 as a trainee cadet with the TV current affairs program ''

This Day Tonight ''This Day Tonight'' (TDT) was an Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and ...

''. In 1979, he wrote a prize-winning radio program on the

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

town of Baryulgil, where the health of the local Aboriginal population had been affected by the local

-manufacturing industry. Peacock became the chief political correspondent for current affairs radio in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, and worked as a

foreign correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

in the United States in the early 1990s (in Washington, D.C., from 1990 to 1992 and New York City in 1993), and in London from 2001 to 2003. Over the course of his career, he "played a pivotal role in uncovering the corruption and spin of the asbestos industry over three decades, and his story was told in the mini series ''

Devil's Dust ''Devil's Dust'' is a two-part Australian television docu-drama mini-series on the ABC which first screened in 2012. Based on journalist Matt Peacock's 2009 book ''Killer Company'', ''Devil's Dust'' was researched and developed by producer Ste ...

'' which screened on ABC TV in 2012".ABC board member Matt Peacock confirms he is in 'redundancy pool'
, ''The Guardian'' (26 November 2014). In 2013, Peacock became the first staff-elected director of ABC following reinstatement of that position by the new Australian government. As a board member, he participated in deciding where $254 million should be cut from ABC's budget; in 2014, he learned that he was facing termination as a redundant employee, under the same budget cuts. In 2015, after ABC News faced criticism for allowing

Zaky Mallah Zaky Mallah is an Australian who was the first to be charged with terror offences under Australia's anti-terrorism act after he made a video which allegedly contained a threat to carry out a suicide attack on federal government offices in Sydney i ...

to ask a question on the ABC program '' Q&A'', Peacock wrote an email urging ABC News staff to "maintain our statutory commitment to fearless, impartial and independent coverage", while asking "my colleagues at

News Corporation The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...

to resist pressure to mount unfair and provocative attacks on their fellow journalists". Peacock also worked on ABC Radio programs '' AM'', '' PM'' and '' The World Today'', and for the television current affairs program '' 7.30'', and was also an adjunct professor of journalism at the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...

''Killer Company'' and ''Devil's Dust''

Beginning in 1977, Peacock engaged in a lengthy investigation of the use of harmful

fibre in building materials produced by

James Hardie Industries James Hardie Industries plc is an American-Irish global building materials company and the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products. Headquartered in Ireland, it is cross-listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges. Its m ...

, culminating in his 2009 book, '' Killer Company: James Hardie Exposed''. In the book, Peacock documents how Hardie's practices "led to the deaths of thousands of workers and customers, who were never informed of the dangers", resulting in medical abnormalities, such as

asbestosis Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis, scarring of the human lung, lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest pain, chest tightness. Complications may include lung canc ...

.Angela Welsh
Review: Killer Company
''The Walkley Foundation'', 27 October 2009. According to Peacock, James Hardie Industries circumvented the rules and regulations designed to protect the community from serious health hazards. Peacock states that "Hardie embarked on a cold, calculated strategy to maximise profits, minimise compensation and conceal the culprits". ''Killer Company'' was a finalist for the

Walkley Walkley is a suburb of Sheffield, England, west of Burngreave, south of Hillsborough and north-east of Crookes. The area consists mainly of Victorian stone-fronted terraced housing and has a relatively high student population. It also has ...

non-fiction book of the year in 2009. In 2012, ''

'', a docudrama based on ''Killer Company'', was released, with

Ewen Leslie Ewen Leslie (born 27 July 1980) is an Australian actor. Career Theatre His first work on Sydney stages was performing at the Old Fitzroy Hotel theatre in Woolloomooloo. In 2007 he was cast by Philip Seymour Hoffman in ''Riflemind'', a play ...

portraying Peacock.

Death

Peacock died from pancreatic cancer at the

Royal North Shore Hospital The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located in the suburb of St Leonards. It serves as a teaching hospital for Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney, University of Technol ...

in Sydney, on 30 October 2024, at the age of 72. In the 2025 King's Birthday Honours, Peacock was posthumously appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

, for significant service to the broadcast media as a journalist.

Bibliography

* ''Asbestos: Work as a Health Hazard'' (1978) () * ''The Forgotten People — a History of Australia's South Sea Islanders'' (1979) () * ''

'' (2009) ()

References

External links

ABC News page on Matt Peacock

Personal website of Matt Peacock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peacock, Matt 1952 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Australian journalists 21st-century Australian journalists Australian male journalists Australian non-fiction crime writers Australian political journalists Australian science journalists Board members of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Australia Members of the Order of Australia