ABC issues apology to Jacinta Price for ‘hurt and distress’ over ‘defamatory’ speaking tour broadcast

Subsequent court action taken by the Alice Springs deputy mayor against the public broadcaster has also been settled.

Jacinta Price. Picture: Chloe Elrich

The ABC has apologised to Alice Springs deputy mayor Jacinta Price for airing multiple radio segments that accused her of spreading “racist vitriol” and “hate speech”.

Subsequent court action taken by Ms Price against the public broadcaster has also been settled between the parties.

ABC Coffs Coast and ABC Alice Springs both aired radio segments on 11 September 2019 that included reactions to a speaking tour Ms Price conducted in Coffs Harbour in NSW.

In the apology the public broadcaster included the damage caused by using information from a media release issued by the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council.

“The ABC understands that the Land Council has withdrawn and apologised to Ms Price for statements contained in the media release which it accepts were false and defamatory, and which caused hurt and distress to Ms Price and her family,” the apology said.

“The ABC did not endorse the opinions contained in the media release and apologises to Ms Price and her family for the hurt and distress caused by broadcasting those views.”

Ms Price is a Warlpiri/Celtic woman and took legal action against ABC over the report that included nine local Aboriginal organisations to convince Coffs Harbour City Council to cancel her speaking tour, Mind The Gap.

She toured Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and was booked to speak at Coffs Harbour but the local council wrote to her saying she must first seek permission from the local Aboriginal community to enter their land.

It was understood the Harbour City Council never imposed such requirements on anyone else to speak in their shire, however she did proceed with her speaking engagement.

Ms Price, who launched the defamation proceedings in September last year, settled her claim against the Coffs Harbour and Districts Local Aboriginal Land Council in November and just last week settled her dispute with the ABC.

Ms Price told The Australian she was “happy” with the settlement but could not disclose any details.

In a statement of claim filed in December, Ms Price said the public broadcaster defamed her in many ways including that she “spreads racist vitriol” and “vilifies and ridicules Aboriginal people and cultures”.