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Ben Roberts-Smith

December 2024

Meet the eight new judges joining the Federal Court

The president of the Victorian Bar, the head of ANU Law School and leading commercial barristers are among a swathe of new appointments.

  • Maxim Shanahan

September 2024

Defence Minister Richard Marles at times has a lonely job running his portfolio.

Afghanistan’s long dark shadow still hangs over the military

Two major reports this week brought home painful reminders of the legacy of Australia’s contribution to the war on terror. Will anything change?

  • Andrew Tillett

July 2024

Mark Weinberg ...

Accident puts war crimes judge in wheelchair

The severe injuries sustained by Mark Weinberg, KC, are a blow to the Office of the Special Investigator into war crimes in Afghanistan.

  • Michael Pelly

May 2024

Dentsu runs the media account for supermarket giant Woolworths.

Ad giant Dentsu’s epic losses no big deal for Japanese parent

Dentsu spends more than $1 billion every year in Australia on behalf of its clients, including Woolworths. It has lost $170 million over the past three years.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones

April 2024

NSW State RSL president Mick Bainbridge during the ANZAC day dawn service in Martin Place.

Thousands join Anzac services as nation seeks to heal

Anzac Day was labelled a chance for Sydney to come together and heal after a series of terrifying knife attacks.

  • Gus McCubbing
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Mark O’Brien outside Bistro Moncur in Woollahra, Sydney, on April 11.

Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer, Mark O’Brien, is on a losing streak

Losses in high-profile cases have experts wondering if Sydney’s client-friendly defamation culture is changing.

  • Aaron Patrick
Bruce Lehrmann departs court on Monday.

Taking out the Bruce Lehrmann trash

Historic day leaves Seven counting the costs of its sullied Spotlight exclusive.

  • Updated
  • Mark Di Stefano
Outgoing and incoming Seven West Media CEOs, James Warburton and Jeff Howard.

Up in the air: Seven’s new boss braces for impact

Jeff Howard watched ex-Seven producer Taylor Auerbach give evidence on Friday while flying back from Adelaide, two weeks before he takes over Seven’s top job.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones and Max Mason
Outgoing Seven West Media CEO James Warburton.

Ghosts of Seven’s past return to haunt executives

Outgoing Seven West Media CEO James Warburton preps his successor, as the notice period drags on.

  • Mark Di Stefano

February 2024

Lisa Wilkinson leaves court on Wednesday.

Who’s winning the three big cases of the year? The lawyers, of course

Three of the biggest cases of 2023 have been back in court this week, with Ben Roberts-Smith, Lisa Wilkinson and Shane Drumgold all seeking vindication.

  • Michael Pelly
Ben Robert-Smith departs the court on February 5.

Ben Roberts-Smith fronts court as 10-day appeal starts

The war veteran sat in court on Monday as his team of top-tier barristers attempted to overturn his landmark defamation loss over war crimes media reporting.

  • Miklos Bolza

December 2023

Seven West chairman Kerry Stokes.

Kerry Stokes walks away from SAS defence charity

The mogul has stepped down from an SAS charity he co-founded.

  • Updated
  • Mark Di Stefano
Kerry Stokes and Ben Roberts-Smith.

BRS emails to stay secret after Stokes agrees to cover Nine’s costs

Kerry Stokes has agreed to pay the costs of Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case, meaning a cache of emails between the billionaire, his corporate fixer and the disgraced soldier’s legal team will stay secret.

  • Updated
  • Max Mason

November 2023

 Ben Roberts-Smith was backed by billionaire Kerry Stokes.

Stokes, Seven lose fight to keep Roberts-Smith emails under wraps

Nine Entertainment is pursuing Australian Capital Equity and Seven for costs for the disgraced soldier’s failed defamation action.

  • Max Mason
Bruce Lehrmann arrives at court on Tuesday morning.

Kerry Stokes and Seven’s questionable taste in men

It was revealed in court on Tuesday that Bruce Lehrmann’s rent was being paid by Seven in exchange for interviews with the network.

  • Mark Di Stefano
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Roberts-Smith to pay 95pc of Nine’s costs in defamation mega-trial

Justice Anthony Besanko awarded indemnity costs to Nine because the disgraced soldier knew what he was being accused of was substantially true.

  • Max Mason
David McBride is facing a criminal trial for leaking confidential military information to the media.

Is David McBride a whistleblower, a criminal or both?

The army lawyer says he leaked secret documents to defend Australian soldiers accused of illegal killings in Afghanistan, not expose them.

  • Aaron Patrick

October 2023

Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes is back for more.

Kerry Stokes spurns doing a Rupert, rides again

Billionaire Kerry Stokes renominates as director of Seven West Media; behind the ABC’s decision to block ChatGPT’s web crawler; The Market Herald’s rebrand.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones and Mark Di Stefano
Kerry Stokes and Ben Roberts-Smith.

Kerry Stokes, Bruce McWilliam, Seven emails ‘personally embarrassing’

Releasing thousands of emails between Ben Roberts-Smith’s legal team, Kerry Stokes’ Australian Capital Equity and Seven could result in “substantial injustice”.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones

July 2023

Ben Roberts-Smith and Kerry Stokes.

Kerry Stokes, Seven forced to hand over Roberts-Smith case emails

Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes and his commercial director Bruce McWilliam will be forced to hand over thousands of their emails exchanged with Ben Roberts-Smith’s legal team.

  • Max Mason

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/person/benjamin-roberts-smith-1m4d