Mr Kamin Gock graduated from Charles Sturt University with a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) in the Charles Sturt School of Information and Communication Studies in 2018. Following graduation, he quickly worked his way up from a regional to metropolitan reporter and is now an esteemed journalist for ABC’s 7.30 program.

Kamin has been named the Charles Sturt Distinguished Alumni of the Year for Social Impact. This  award recognises leaders or individuals whose professional or voluntary work has generated significant social impact to a group or wider community(ies).

Kamin felt his calling for a career in journalism began at an early age. He was in Year 6 when he decided to become a journalist and hold authority to account.

Since graduating from Charles Sturt he has achieved just that, shining a light on social, political and environmental issues and giving a voice to the voiceless.

“I owe so much to my time at this University, whether it be the opportunities afforded to me or the lifelong friends and on-campus experience I had,” Kamin said.

Juggling study, internships and casual work in the industry, Kamin joined Channel Nine’s Orange newsroom in 2018. He worked full-time as a journalist with Nine in Albury and then Perth before moving to the ABC in Sydney in July 2021.

It was the beginning of a rapid ascent at the national broadcaster that took him from multimedia journalist, a State Political Reporter, Andrew Olle Scholar and now 7.30 journalist.

He has spent time at seminal programs, including 4 Corners, covered major events, including the search for William Tyrrell, the Northern Rivers floods, COVID-19 lockdowns and state and federal elections.

But it is in the social justice sphere where his reporting has had the most vital impact.

“Telling people's stories is a great privilege and responsibility,” Kamin explains.

Kamin’s exclusive series of reports for Nine News on the death of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath in Perth Children’s Hospital sparked two investigations and major reforms, including the hiring of 400 additional new nurses and the implementation of a state-wide parental escalation system.

His exposé on the deaths of two children following alleged inadequate care at Monash Children’s Hospital spurred a raft of structural changes and helped prompt a state-wide overhaul of patient escalation processes and paediatric emergency management.

Kamin has also exposed countless political and institutional injustices affecting minority communities, including alleged delay tactics used by the NSW Department of Justice against victims of institutionalised abuse and the WA Housing Authority’s alleged failures to maintain basic living conditions for thousands of tenants in remote Aboriginal communities.

Through fearless and sensitive reporting, Kamin has also exposed inequities in society and continues to hold politicians, businesses, organisations and individuals to account.

Named Young Journalist of the Year in the 2023 Kennedy Awards, Kamin said he is immensely proud of how far he’s come since his Charles Sturt studies.

“Being able to give someone a voice and have that lead to change or make an impact is special, and definitely the most fulfilling aspect of my job,” he said.