“Hypocritical!” Malcolm Turnbull Slams Lachlan Murdoch For Coming After Crikey

Australian Prime Minister designate Malcolm Turnbull with Deputy Prime Minister designate Julie Bishop during a press conference in the Blue Room, after winning the Australian Federal leadership in a party ballot vote, at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, Sept. 14, 2015. (AAP Image/Sam Mooy) NO ARCHIVING

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has slammed Lachlan Murdoch for suing Aussie publication Crikey.

Defamation proceedings have officially commenced against the political website Crikey. Murdoch finally pulled the trigger, and his lawyers filed the papers in Federal Court.

Murdoch’s move came after Crikey basically invited Murdoch to sue them. But, interestingly, Turnbull has already weighed in and denounced Murdoch’s move.

The Australian Financial Review has reported that in an interview with ABC’S Radio National, Turnbull said: “I think it’s hypocritical!

“Very few people have defamed more people than the Murdochs over the years, their media organisations.

“They’re always bleating about freedom of speech and how the defamation laws are too harsh, and they stifle free speech.” 

If a former Prime Minister weighing in wasn’t enough excitement, this case is already gearing up to be a huge deal because it will be the first big case trialled under the new defamation laws that were passed last year.

Australia has added a public interest defence for media organisations, and now plaintiffs must prove there’s been “serious harm” to their reputations. So, the stakes are higher and more challenging than ever.

But, considering there’s been a string of cases where the law has fallen on the plaintiff’s side. It will be interesting to see if these new laws cause a shift.

It’ll also be fascinating to see what other influential Australians weigh in on the case.




Please login with linkedin to comment

Crikey Lachlan Murdoch Malcom Turnbull

Latest News

Real Home Care Clients & Staff Star In New HammondCare Campaign
  • Campaigns

Real Home Care Clients & Staff Star In New HammondCare Campaign

Real home care clients and the staff who care for them have starred in a new campaign for home care provider HammondCare, in an effort to show what quality care looks like. HammondCare at Home clients Olga Citroni, 81, of Cabramatta West, and Robyn Vickers, 74, of Hammondville, star in the video and digital campaign […]

Mutinex’s Henry Inniss: “I’m Imperfect As A Leader”
  • Technology

Mutinex’s Henry Inniss: “I’m Imperfect As A Leader”

Mutinex is one of the hottest startups in the marketing world at the moment with its GrowthOS and DataOS platforms offering brands, agencies and marketers a chance at true dollar-in, dollar-out marketing spend assessment. While its GrowthOS product has been around for a little while, its DataOS product is entirely new. Launched at the end […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Slew Of Senior Hires At Sparro by Brainlabs & Jack Nimble
  • Advertising

Slew Of Senior Hires At Sparro by Brainlabs & Jack Nimble

Independent digital marketing agency, Sparro by Brainlabs, and creative production agency, Jack Nimble, have announced four new senior hires across the agency group. The appointments follow several significant recent new business wins and product launches. Lead image: Kiki Jones, Morgen Mathews, Lauren Nixon-Smith, Michael Sparkes Kiki Jones joins Jack Nimble as group account director following […]

SBS Audio Campaign Tells The Stories Of New Australians, With Multilingual Content Offerings To Assist Migrants
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns

SBS Audio Campaign Tells The Stories Of New Australians, With Multilingual Content Offerings To Assist Migrants

SBS Audio has launched a new marketing campaign for its ‘Australia Explained’ service which supports new migrants to successfully navigate life in Australia and achieve a greater sense of belonging and social cohesion. SBS’s flagship service for new migrants, Australia explained, has launched a multi-platform marketing campaign that reaches into the heart of the migrant […]

Tracker App Launches, Promising Consumers A Read On Brand’s & Products Sustainability Chops
  • Advertising

Tracker App Launches, Promising Consumers A Read On Brand’s & Products Sustainability Chops

Shoppers can now get access to sustainability information at their fingertips through Tracker, a first-of-its-kind mobile app. The Tracker app centralises sustainability data into a single, easy-to-understand format, helping shoppers make informed choices about the brands and products they support. Shoppers can simply scan the barcode of their favourite supermarket, chemist or department store item […]