Andrew Forrest vs Kerry Stokes escalated to minister for ‘alleged misuse of media’
West Australian billionaire Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest has taken his quarrel with fellow mining billionaire (and majority owner of Seven West Media [SWM]), Kerry Stokes to the minister for communications, Michelle Rowland, alleging misuse of media powers.
Forrest is alleging that Stokes’s SWM newspaper, The West Australian, has misused its power for “commercial interests”, in an argument regarding mining equipment.
L-R: Stokes and Forrest
Stokes is a majority shareholder in Seven Group, which owns WesTrac. Seven Group also owns 40% of Seven West Media.
The pair have been engaged in a public disagreement this week, after Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), owned by Forrest, announced it was looking to become a competitor in the mining machinery sector in Western Australia. The move prompted criticism from The West Australian, the main daily newspaper in the state, which Forrest’s camp is now alleging also raises questions of diversity of media ownership in the state.
Minister Rowland’s office said in a statement to Mumbrella: “The Minister has received the letter from Fortescue Future Industries and it is being given due consideration.”
It’s understood that Forrest told staff of the mining company this week that the coverage was being driven by the self-seeking and commercial interests of Stokes’ Seven Group.
Dr Forrest this week told Fortescue staff that the company was being targeted and alleged the negative coverage was being “driven by the narrow, self-seeking, commercial interest” of Kerry Stokes’ wider conglomerate.
The office of Ryan Stokes, managing director of Seven Group, also provided the following statement to Mumbrella: “SGH and WesTrac consider FMG one of our most important and highly valued customers, we will do anything to support them in their mining and broader ambitions. We value the relationship we have throughout the organisation. The decision on 50% of their truck fleet was more than 12 months ago. Yes, it is disappointing – as it is to lose any deal – but we have been actively engaged on current and future deals. We remain steadfast in our commitment to support them.
“As far as Seven West Media goes, editorial decisions are completely independent as you would expect.”
It is also understood that Kerry Stokes’ camp is ‘bemused’ by the attack from Forrest’s Fortescue.
Yesterday, The West Australian published an editorial titled: ‘We stand by our reporting on Fortescue Metals Group.’
This story has been updated since it was originally published.
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Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
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topics
Andrew Forrest
Kerry Stokes
Michelle Rowland
Minister for Communications
Seven Group
SWM
The West Australian
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