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.
