Joe Hockey to sue Fairfax for defamation over ‘Treasurer for sale’ headline
Treasurer Joe Hockey is launching defamation action against Fairfax Media over a story last week which suggested he was selling access to businesses and lobbyists in return for donations to the Liberal Party.
The Australian reports, Hockey is to launch the court action over the front page which appeared on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age last Monday week ahead of the federal budget under the headline “Treasurer for sale”.
A spokesman for Hockey is quoted as saying: “The Treasurer has filed statements of claim in the federal court in relation to defamation proceedings against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times and their online services.”
Last week disparaging and altered images of Hockey were on the front page of nearly every major newspaper after the budget.
At the time of posting Fairfax had not responded to requests for comment.
Lawyers at 20 paces
User ID not verified.
and who’s paying for this litigation? please don’t tell me it’s taxpayers
User ID not verified.
He didn’t have much choice, even though he’ll lose. Given how this government have treated the non-Murdoch press, the breathtaking arrogance they have displayed, they’re only getting what they deserve.
Hockey won’t be the last.
User ID not verified.
so when the Murdoch press (eg The Australian) was hammering Gillard for the alleged AWU “scandal” for months, that was not defamation??
They were trying to bring her down with smears that were never proven to be anything more than that – just smears. At least she had the class to ignore the ridiculous accusations.
Time to grow some kahunas, Joe..
User ID not verified.
I agree with your sentiment @hmmm, but I think you mean “cojones”.
User ID not verified.
I hope that Hockey’s law suite causes readership of Fairfax publications to increase. Hopefully may swing some people away from dirty Murdoch publications.
User ID not verified.
Oh, I can hardly wait to hear about the Discovery phase of this action. Ought to be very revealing…
User ID not verified.
Smoking Joe must be smoking blunts and not cigars
short term memory loss, remember the terrors headline on Conroy
http://anonymouslefty.files.wo.....-large.jpg
User ID not verified.
C’mon princess … harden up.
You and your buddies dished defamatory shit for three years.
You serve up a budget that broke at least 7 election promises and that was the most unfair budget in living history.
You have a web of dodgy fundraising bodies according to ICAC.
And now you have a tanty in your panties.
Here …. have a stogie on me because you don’t deserve any better.
User ID not verified.
The story was not defamatory, but the headline clearly was.
Why did they run it? Was it legalled? Or was it another AFR-style stuff-up?
Do the editors even know what’s on their own front page any more?
User ID not verified.
He will probably settle for a kebab.
User ID not verified.
Cartoonists have been lampooning and lambasting politicians for centuries, this new boy maybe doesn’t understand that. Or maybe he thinks he is more important than he really is.
Sticks out, shin pads in place…Hockey one.. Hockey two …Hockey
User ID not verified.
Oh … they meant the Federal Government Treasurer! I thought they meant the local footy club.
User ID not verified.
In a better world this obnoxious hypocrite would just crawl into some distant corner and quietly choke on his cigar, not waste court time on bullsh!t.
User ID not verified.
Groucho, he’d probably sue for a kebab!
User ID not verified.