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The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Pro-Israel lobby group members who complained to ABC about Lattouf harassed online, court hears
Members of a pro-Israel lobby group who complained to the ABC about Antoinette Lattouf have been harassed and vilified online since attempting to launch contempt proceedings against Nine newspapers, the federal court has heard. The alleged harassment on social media platform X was said to have reignited after a court hearing last month in which the members accused editors, reporters and lawyers from Nine of breaching a suppression order in the Lattouf case. On 25 June the federal court found the ABC breached the Fair Work Act when it terminated the casual broadcaster for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. On the same day the court heard an application from members of a pro-Israel lobby group to refer contempt proceedings against eight individuals from the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. On Monday Sue Chrysanthou SC, for the applicants, presented a letter to the court containing confidential instances of 'speculation, vilification and harassment' which have appeared on social media since Justice Darryl Rangiah heard their complaint. Nine's lawyer Tom Blackburn argued the letter was irrelevant and should not be admitted because any increased harassment of Jewish complainants is not the fault of journalists at the Age. 'Increased harassment, your honour, as we've said in our letter, is deplorable, but it's not our fault, and this is just irrelevant material in our submission,' Blackburn said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Blackburn said the backlash was more likely to have come as a result of the judgment handed down on the same day in which Rangiah found Lattouf was sacked 'to appease the pro-Israel lobbyists'. 'Well, we don't know whether the material tendered this morning, your honour, was caused by this application or by the main proceedings,' he said. The Lattouf judgment 'gained far more attention than the hearing of the intervening party's application', Blackburn said. 'So there's no necessary connection at all with increased harassment.' Rangiah accepted the letter as relevant to his decision. The group alleges the Age breached a suppression order issued by Rangiah in February during the high-profile unlawful termination trial. Nine submits the suppression order does not apply to articles published before it was made, and has asked the court not to refer Nine for contempt. The article exposed a coordinated campaign to have Lattouf removed from the ABC. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion During the trial Rangiah reminded the parties about his suppression order, asking any media who may have published the names of some of the people who complained about Lattouf to comply with the order. 'I made a suppression order last Monday. The solicitors acting for the applicants who sought the suppression order have written to the court asserting that a particular media organisation has published articles which disclose the identities of those protected by the suppression order,' he said at the time. Without admitting contempt, Nine newspapers removed the names of the people who had complained to the ABC on 18 March. Blackburn told the court individual journalists are not responsible for publishing or taking down their own articles, and journalists Bachelard and Jaspan should not be respondents, alongside editors Patrick Elligett and Bevan Shields and their lawyers. He also argued the Age newspaper does not control what is published on archival websites and social media, so any mention of articles which have been taken down is no fault of the respondents. Some archival websites have retained copies of the amended articles, including names of the complainants, the court heard. 'The other point is, your honour, that my clients don't control the webpage archive,' he said. 'They don't control [social media platform] X.' Justice Rangiah reserved his judgment.
Sky News AU
10-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Pentagon's review could place AUKUS pact ‘under threat'
Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus says the Pentagon is now considering making Australia pay more for submarines under the AUKUS pact. Sources have told Nine Newspapers the US will ask for changes to the pact before the first submarines arrive. 'The new potential costs and conditions are yet another worrying sign the $368 billion AUKUS deal could be under threat,' Ms Marcus said. 'Albanese's failure to manage a relationship with Trump is looking to be very costly indeed.'
Sky News AU
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘We've already coughed up the money': Fury as US considers asking Aust to pay more under AUKUS
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young claims the AUKUS agreement has been a 'dud deal' for Australia 'since day dot' and new information exposes this. This comes as there are fears the United States may ask Australia to pay more under the AUKUS pact. Sources have told Nine Newspapers the US will ask for changes to the pact before the first submarines arrive. 'The US is already starting to put up the flagpole that Australians, Australian taxpayers are going to have to pay more for it,' Ms Hanson-Young told Sky News Australia. 'We've already coughed up the money. 'It's Australian taxpayers that are front footing most of the cost upfront. We're the ones putting the money on the table.'
Sky News AU
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Fears the US may want higher AUKUS payments
There are fears the United States may ask Australia to pay more under the AUKUS pact. Sources close to the review being spearheaded by US President Donald Trump's Under Secretary of Defence, Elbridge Colby, have told Nine Newspapers the US will ask for changes to the pact before the first submarines arrive. Australia is already contributing $4.7 billion to the deal in 2021. There are also concerns the US may force all submarines within the pact to support them in any future conflict with Taiwan.
The Age
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
Final regulatory leash removed from Crown's neck in Perth
The final regulatory leash has been removed from Crown's neck in Australia after the WA government handed back the casino and resorts giant autonomy over its operations. Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia also decided against further punitive action against Crown, saying he was comfortable the business had taken appropriate action to deal with the money laundering, counter-terrorism and problem-gambling issues that plunged it into crisis nationwide following investigations by Nine Newspapers. 'I have found that Crown is a suitable entity for operating a casino without conditions or penalties. And that finding was taken to the cabinet yesterday and endorsed by the cabinet,' he said. Papalia's decision means Crown Perth is free to operate without the intensive government oversight that had been in place since the royal commission report was finalised in 2022. Papalia defended not using a financial penalty to punish Crown, which is now owned by private investment firm Blackstone, and downplayed the activities unearthed by the royal commission, saying 'there was never any evidence of direct money laundering activity of the nature that you witnessed in Melbourne.' 'What there was, was potential for money laundering to have been enabled, and potential for counter-terrorism or terrorism finances to have been transacted,' he said. Following Nine Newspapers' reports the Victorian, New South Wales and WA governments conducted separate inquiries, finding the casino had allowed money laundering to take place. The WA report found Crown Perth had facilitated money laundering, failed to investigate suspicions of money laundering, permitted junkets with links to criminals to operate at the casino and failed to minimise gambling-related harm caused by electronic gaming machines. It also lashed the former Crown Perth board for failing in its oversight of the business.
