Alice Springs businessman Garth Thompson lodges legal complaint with ABC over Alice Springs coverage

An Alice Springs resident has lodged a legal complaint with the broadcaster after its notorious ‘white supremacy’ reference.

Alice Springs business owner Garth Thompson has engaged lawyers over his on-air portrayal by the ABC. Picture: Liam Mendes

The organiser of an Alice Springs town meeting has lodged a legal complaint with the ABC following reports published by the public broadcaster that claimed the gathering displayed elements of “white supremacy”.

Resident and businessman Garth Thompson, who led the Save Alice Springs meeting in January alongside his mother, Mich­elle, has engaged lawyers over his on-air portrayal by the ABC, and he is in discussions with it over the matter.

Mr Thompson wants several articles published by the ABC about the meeting to be retracted, and a national apology given to the community of Alice Springs.

“We were hung out to dry­ ­because of the way they portrayed us,” he told The Australian.

“I want the stories removed and I want a full nationwide apology to our town.

“I’ve been criticised Australia-wide and I’ve copped abuse and all sorts of crap from people who believe what the ABC has written.

“All they did was hang off the attitude of a couple of hippy mung beans that walked in there (to the meeting) with that same ­attitude.

“I bust my arse with my family, and we work, and this is home and has been for over 40 years; we don’t like where the town is at, and we need to see things change.”

Mr Thompson has repeatedly voiced his concerns about the ongoing crime and violence in Alice Springs and said the ABC had made the community “look like a joke”.

In newly released information published last week, the ABC confirmed it had received a legal complaint about its coverage of issues in the Northern Territory community but refused to provide any further details about the matter.

The disclosure of the complaint came in response to a question on notice from Liberal senator Sarah Henderson from a Senate estimates hearing in February, where she requested “all relevant documents, correspondence and messages to be provided on notice in relation to the ABC’s coverage of the Alice Springs town hall meeting”.

In its response, the public broadcaster said: “The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has received a legal complaint relating to some of its Alice Springs coverage.

“The ABC does not wish to prejudice its position in relation to any legal proceedings and accordingly does not propose to provide further information while the matter is on foot.”

At the meeting, thousands of Alice Springs residents gathered to discuss the rise in alcohol-fuelled violence and crime, and Mr Thompson revealed his plans to sue the government for $1.5bn in compensation.

The reports about the meeting aired on January 31, including one on ABC radio’s AM program, with the ABC ombudsman receiving 18 complaints about the multiple ­stories.

The ABC initially refused to apologise over the “white supremacy” claims, only to later back down, agreeing to re-edit and subsequently repost the AM story.

The Australian revealed in February that managing director David Anderson had conceded in correspondence to Senator Henderson that “we should have publicly recognised the flaws in the AM package earlier and apologised to audiences”.

ABC also published a statement and said the “story was incomplete when broadcast”.

“It ought to have included further perspectives and context concerning the meeting,” the statement said.

The ABC also said its journalist Carly Williams, who was at the meeting but was “declined entry”, instead spoke to attendees as they left the event.