Alan Jones defends email to Qantas boss Alan Joyce over Wagner airport
Alan Jones has defended writing to Alan Joyce over Qantas decision to fly to Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport, owned by the Wagner family.
Alan Jones has defended writing to Qantas chief Alan Joyce and using the word “bribe” to describe the airline’s decision to fly to Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport, whose owners are suing the broadcaster for defamation.
During his second day of cross-examination in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Jones said emailed correspondence to Mr Joyce in September 2014 had come after his “surprise” that Qantas had agreed to fly to Wellcamp, which had been built by the Wagner brothers’ family company.
Jones told the court he had spoken to Mr Joyce several times about his concerns about the airport and airspace near a Defence facility being used to service it, and felt the Qantas chief executive “agreed” with those concerns.
He was asked by Tom Blackburn SC, for the four Wagner brothers who launched the defamation suit, about him accusing the plaintiffs of “bribing” the airline in one of the emails to Mr Joyce.
“Well, I think I used that word because I noted in his letter of 9.38am that he had agreed to fly in because the offer is ‘commercially very attractive’ and ‘our competitor would have taken it provided the opportunity’,” Jones said, referring to the emails.
“Now when I saw that I thought, isn’t this an orthodox commercial deal? And it was commercially attractive — some inducement has been given for Qantas to fly in.
“I think that conclusion that I drew was perfectly legitimate.”
Asked if he equated Mr Joyce’s comments with “bribery”, Jones said: “Well, I don’t know what word you’d use.”
“If you were wanting someone to fly in, you make a commercially attractive agreement to get them to fly in,” Jones said. “So what word would you use? An inducement? A bribe? I don’t know.
“Would they have flown in if they had to meet orthodox commercial requirements?”
Jones also repeatedly said he did not hate the Wagners.
“I don’t hate people. I’m only trying to serve the concerns expressed to me by the community,” he said.
His cross-examination will resume on Monday.
The Wagner brothers allege they were defamed by imputations the quarry they owned was responsible for deaths in the Grantham floods, that they engaged in a cover-up, and had broken the law when building the Wellcamp airport.
The alleged defamation relates mostly to comments made by Jones on his radio shows in 2014 and 2015. Journalist Nick Cater, a columnist with The Australian, is named as a defendant over one of the broadcasts. The other defendants are Harbour Radio and 4BC.
Broadcasts added to Jones suit
The Wagner brothers suing broadcaster Alan Jones for defamation are seeking to add another 35 broadcasts to their claim for aggravated damages, a court has heard.
The broadcasts, which date back to 2012, are not proposed to be used to prove any defamation claim, but are sought to be introduced to prove an aggravation damages claim.
Tom Blackburn SC, for the four Wagner brothers, told the Supreme Court in Brisbane that the allegations contained in those broadcasts were mostly “of the same nature” as the 32 recordings that are already before the court.
The Wagners are seeking up to $4.8 million in damages.
Justice Peter Flanagan said the Wagners’ legal team would not be permitted to question Jones — who is in the witness stand for a second day — about the additional broadcasts until the media identity has had a chance to examine them.
Justice Flanagan said the changes sought to be filed by the Wagners were to add to their argument that Jones was “motivated by a desire to injure the plaintiffs”.
The Wagner brothers allege they were defamed by imputations the quarry they owned was responsible for deaths in the Grantham floods, that they engaged in a cover-up, and had broken the law when building the Wellcamp airport.
The alleged defamation relates mostly to comments made by Jones on his radio shows in 2014 and 2015. Journalist Nick Cater, a columnist with The Australian, is named as a defendant over one of the broadcasts. The other defendants are Harbour Radio and 4BC.