Austin is an Australian cross-platform journalist who began his career in Lebanon during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. He worked in the region for a total of four years, for major outlets like The Diplomat, CBC, CBS,  ABC (America), ABC (Australia), as well as independent and community media orgs. He covered events such as the turbulent 2009 Iranian presidential elections and the unrest in Egypt during 2011 and 2012. Mackell broke news of the arrest of Egyptian Alber Saber, an atheist arrested on blasphemy charges. His work in Egypt also included investigations into army deserters and worker-led dissent leading to his arrest and charges of incitement filed against him in 2012. Austin was also one of the earliest and most vociferous of the voices warning against a military coup of 2013, by which stage he had moved to Ecuador and begun work on founding the press accountability and transparency NGO ImportantCool, for which he as since produced works ranging from political analysis to gonzo documentaries on the psychedelic practices of Amazonian peoples. He is available for work across all journalistic platforms throughout the region. He has since returned to his home city of Australia, residing outside the national capital, Canberra near the NSW-Victoria border, in the famous bell-weather seat of Eden Monaro. He is available to report and comment on Australian and international news in any format.