Treasurer For Sale

icyfroth — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 10:47:37 GMT

Treasurer Joe Hockey has won a defamation case against Fairfax Media.

Justice Richard White found that a poster headline and tweets reading "Treasurer for sale" were defamatory.

Mr Hockey was awarded $200,000 in damages.

Justice White found that Fairfax Media may have been able to rely on a defence of qualified privilege to justify the headline and tweets, however this defence was not available because the headline was motivated by "malice".

He was critical of Sydney Morning Herald editor Darren Goodsir.

The court previously heard Goodsir had sent an email to journalist Sean Nicholls in March 2014.

It said: "Given what [The Age editor-in-chief Andrew Holden] and I endured last week with Hockey, I want to have this nailed to the cross in more ways than one."

Mr Hockey's lawyer had argued that Fairfax was motivated by "petty spite" and revenge for being forced to correct and apologise for a previous article about the Treasurer.

Justice White said he considered Goodsir was: "motivated by his animus towards Mr Hockey and that he sought a headline which would be hurtful of, or damaging to, Mr Hockey."

Entire Article Here

No doubt Fairfax will appeal.

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Treasurer For Sale