5 hours agoWed 31 Dec 2025 at 7:07am

Police allege a man made threatening phone calls to journalist Nick McKenzie on Christmas Eve.  (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

In short:

A man has been charged with making threatening phone call to journalist Nick McKenzie on Christmas Eve. 

The investigation was led by detectives from Taskforce Hawk, which investigates criminal behaviour in the construction industry. 

What's next?

The 31-year-old man has been bailed to appear before a court next year.

A man has been charged over making a threatening phone call to award-winning journalist Nick McKenzie on Christmas Eve.

The 31-year-old was arrested by police at a home in Fraser Rise in Melbourne's north-west on Wednesday and charged with two counts of using a carriage service to menace/cause offence.

The investigation was led by investigators from Taskforce Hawk, which was established in June 2024 as an operation to target criminal behaviour in the construction sector.

McKenzie, a reporter at The Age newspaper, has extensively written on alleged corruption within the building industry.

A report published in The Age following the arrest alleges the accused is the senior manager of MA Services Group, a security company that collapsed two days before Christmas.

In a statement, editor of The Age Patrick Elligett condemned the threats made towards McKenzie as an attack on the free press.

"The reporting on MA Services has been undoubtedly in the public interest and journalists should be free to do this important work without fear of threats and intimidation," Elligett said.

The man was bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistates' Court in July next year.

It is the second criminal incident relating to McKenzie this year, following a burglary at his home in October.

Police said an offender gained access to the roof of his property, tampering with CCTV cables.