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Roberts-Smith case

May

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

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

November 2023

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
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July 2023

Ben Roberts-Smiths parents Len Roberts-Smith and Sue Roberts-Smith arriving at the Federal Court. February 16, 2022.

Defamation runs in the Roberts-Smith family

In 2013, Ben’s mother Sue Roberts-Smith launched defamation action against a colleague at Perth’s Swan Valley Anglican Community School.

  • Joe Aston
A former colleague of Ben Roberts-Smith described him as polarising - loved and hated, a walking embodiment of entitlement and arrogance.

Now it’s Ben Roberts-Smith v Justice Anthony Besanko

The decorated war veteran this week pulled the trigger on his anticipated appeal against findings that he was a war criminal, murderer and bully.

  • Michael Pelly

June 2023

Whispers swirl that Bret Walker SC is considering representing Ben Roberts-Smith.

Bret Walker looking at Roberts-Smith appeal

The star silk reportedly charges $30,000 a day and is one of Australia’s most formidable barristers.

  • Myriam Robin and Mark Di Stefano
Gina Rinehart was named Western Australian of the Year for 2023.

Kerry Stokes elevates the next West Australian hero

The Stokes-controlled canonisation of Gina Rinehart omitted legal disputes with her children entirely.

  • Mark Di Stefano
Minter Ellison partner Peter Bartlett

Tears at 4am in Iceland over Roberts-Smith verdict

MinterEllison partner Peter Bartlett was overcome with emotion after the Ben-Roberts Smith verdict

  • Michael Pelly
Ben Roberts-Smith was found to have motives to lie during court proceedings, Justice Anthony Besanko found.

Ben Roberts-Smith could have saved himself

The former SAS soldier’s reputation might largely be intact if he hadn’t threatened journalist Chris Masters.

  • Aaron Patrick
ADF

Judge condemns cowardice in the courtroom

The full judgment in the Ben Roberts-Smith case is a damning indictment of the war hero.

  • Michael Pelly
Former Ten political editor Peter van Onselen.

Network Ten gags former political editor over ratings criticism

Peter van Onselen also used a column published by News Corp to note that the share price of the network’s owner, Ten, had fallen dramatically.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones
Sue Cato has been drafted into the PwC scandal.

On the mat, PwC hires Sue Cato

The embattled financial services company has hired the PR consultant to work with partners at the centre of the tax leaks scandal.

  • Mark Di Stefano
Ben Roberts-Smith outside court in 2021.

The reckoning from Roberts-Smith’s disgrace is still to come

Politicians who are happy to send troops to fight and exploit jingoist sentiment never know what to do with the ugly outcomes.

  • Updated
  • Laura Tingle
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Singapore’s acting prime minister Lawrence Wong in Singapore on Friday.

PM defends military, vows to pursue war crimes

Anthony Albanese has suggested there could be further proceedings against Ben Roberts-Smith, as he defended the reputation of Australia’s armed forces

  • Phillip Coorey
Ben Roberts-Smith.

Ben Roberts-Smith resigns from role at Seven Queensland

The former SAS soldier has tendered his resignation to Seven, which has been accepted, chief executive James Warburton told staff in an email on Friday.

  • Updated
  • Max Mason and Sam Buckingham-Jones

How it could get even worse for Ben Roberts-Smith

After losing his defamation trial, the fallen war hero faces the prospect of a special investigator with a wealth of evidence that can be used against him in a criminal prosecution.

  • Michael Pelly
News reports that Ben Roberts-Smith is a war criminal and murderer were true, a court said.

Pressure on war crimes investigator to prosecute Roberts-Smith: lawyer

Ben Roberts-Smith’s misconduct has been investigated by the independent Brereton inquiry into war crimes and referred to the Office of the Special Investigator.

  • Hannah Wootton
Nine’s managing director of publishing, James Chessell, speaks to media outside a Sydney Federal Court.

Journalists, soldiers vindicated in Roberts-Smith case: Nine

Nine has spent years budgeting for the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case, including for a possible loss.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones and Hannah Wootton

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/roberts-smith-case-1npz