Clementine Ford sues newspaper exec Tory Maguire, The Age and SMH for defamation; Josh Frydenberg’s budget call cranks up
Things have got real over at the Peter Costello-chaired Nine Entertainment, with former star columnist and renowned feminist Clementine Ford filing her long-flagged defamation lawsuit against Tory Maguire, executive editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The papers were lodged in the Federal Court by Ford’s high-profile solicitor Rebekah Giles, who has recently represented former attorney-general Christian Porter in his now discontinued defamation battle with the ABC and reporter Louise Milligan.
The dispute between Ford, Maguire and the newspapers she edits is centred around an interview with Ford conducted for the papers.
The interview related to Ford’s new book had been in train since October last year. It was then conducted in November, but with the article written by Kerrie O’Brien abruptly pulled by the Nine mastheads in January.
In a quote later published by Guardian Australia columnist Amanda Meade, Maguire accused Ford of spending years “making vile and personal attacks on the journalists and editors of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after the mastheads stopped publishing her column”.
Ford had notoriously quit The SMH and The Age in February 2019, claiming she had been given an official warning for calling Scott Morrison a “f..king disgrace”.
Maguire further told Meade that Maguire had originally knocked back the Ford interview, but that there was a breakdown in communication and it was commissioned and published in error.
Back in February, Ford via Giles sent a concern notice – first revealed by Margin Call – to Nine, seeking an apology, which the media empire promptly “declined”.
So now Ford has taken the matter to court.
Ford is described in her statement of claim as “a feminist writer, journalist and public speaker” as well as a person of “substantial reputation in Australia by virtue of her newspaper columns, her feminist activism and published books”.
She alleges says she has been defamed and is seeking general and aggravated damages, costs and a commitment Nine won’t publish any “defamatory imputation” again.
The statement argues ‘Fairfax … is vicariously liable for the conduct of Maguire” as executive editor, and that her statement “has caused … serious harm to Ford’s reputation” as a journalist and feminist and champion of women’s rights, and will likely impact sales of her book.
“Ford has been injured in her character and reputation, has suffered substantial hurt and embarrassment and has and will continue to suffer loss and damage,“ the statement of claim says.
It describes Maguire’s conduct as “unprofessional and malicious” and says her conduct is “hypocritical” given the newspaper’s moniker “independent always”, when Maguire’s conduct towards Ford “has been anything but ‘independent’ ”.
The papers’ conduct, Ford’s statement says, “publicly humiliated her”.
A court date is yet to be set.
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Price of privilege
Josh Frydenberg’s 2022 federal budget is just around the corner and with a federal election to shortly follow, the major political parties are leveraging the opportunity the event affords to generate maximum possible dollars for party coffers.
Myriad invitations are circulating corporate Australia and the inboxes of our nation’s rich and powerful to fork out thousands of dollars for the privilege of joining the pollies in the last week of March.
Frydenberg will deliver the final budget of this term on March 29 – perhaps a mere six or so weeks prior to the national poll.
Last year the likes of billionaire James Packer’s 84-year-old mother Ros Packer, Seven Group boss Ryan Stokes and hospitality billionaire Justin Hemmes all turned up for dinner in The Great Hall of Parliament House, a premium single ticket for which will this year set punters back $1750. Margin Call calculates that puts a premium table’s worth north of $15,000.
For that, guests get to “join Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and their federal colleagues as they discuss the economic outlook for Australia and the Budget’s key measures”.
Riveting.
Otherwise, a smaller dinner will also be held in the Mural Hall, where the likes of Wentworth MP Dave Sharma – who is facing off in the election against independent candidate Allegra Spender – will be hosting at least two tables of paying guests.
Two days later and it will be ALP leader Anthony Albanese’s turn to deliver his budget reply speech to the house, which federal Labor’s Business Forum is also seeking to leverage for some cash.
First there is the opportunity to buy into “networking drinks” with Labor’s backbench at an event to be hosted by Brisbane MP Anika Wells at $300 a pop.
But if you want to rub shoulders with Albo’s A-team, deputy leader of the opposition Richard Marles will the same evening host a dinner with Albo and his shadows that costs $12,000 for a VIP table. Eager participants can even head along to both at a cost of $14,000.
Just mind who you bring along.
“Federal Labor Business Forum invites all members to join the federal Labor Party in championing gender equality,” the invite’s fine print reads.
“We encourage equal representation when nominating your event guests.”
Presumably, no collectives of male, pale and stale allowed.
Then on the Friday it’s back to the Morrison show, with the PM to be rolled out again as the main attraction at a post-budget lunch in Sydney.
A premium table of eight for that – which includes exclusive pre-lunch budget debrief drinks from 11.45am – costs $9000.
Access doesn’t come cheap.
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