The whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks, has been honoured at Australia's premier journalism awards for releasing of "an avalanche of inconvenient truths in a global publishing coup" which has had "an undeniable impact".
Launched in 2006, the controversial website began posting thousands of confidential United States diplomatic cables online last November. The cables, in which diplomats give often candid views on foreign leaders and governments, caused great embarrassment to Washington.
A short video recording of an acceptance speech by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is being held in Britain as he awaits extradition to Sweden to face sex assault charges, was played at the Walkley Awards ceremony in Brisbane.
Mr Assange, an Australian citizen who says the sexual assault charges are politically-motivated, blasted Prime Minister Julia Gillard for not doing enough to defend him and WikiLeaks. "The Gillard government has shown its true colours in relation to how it's handled US pressure on WikiLeaks," he said. Agencies.