She graduated from the University of Sydney in 1981 with a BA (Hons) in English Literature and joined the Herald in 1985 as a graduate cadet. She later worked at the National Times followed by a two-year stint as a researcher at the ABC’s Four Corners before rejoining the Herald in 1990. She is a five-time winner of journalism’s most prestigious award, the Walkley, including the Gold Walkley (with Anne Davies) for her coverage of the Bulldogs salary cap rorts. She was named the 2012 NSW Journalist of the Year for her investigations into the Health Services Union and the business activities of former NSW Labor minister, Eddie Obeid.