CBD reported this week about magistrate Roger Prowse copping a red-hot lashing in the Supreme Court for his verbal attacks on more senior judges.
It turns out that Prowse has a bit of form in making his views about people well known. In a recent domestic violence case concerning Glenn Dirix, Prowse did not hold back about the defendant.
“If you had a choice between speaking with Mr Dirix and picking up dog excreta, I’d go for the dog excreta really, because it’s less odious,” Prowse said.
“Odious is a good word because he’s odious in the extreme,” he continued.
“I would have preferred to go swimming in an open sewer than have to speak with Mr Dirix, really,” the magistrate said.
“At least in an open sewer you know what you’re dealing with, as opposed to a scandalous scoundrel like this person is.”
Dirix is known for his colourful habit of sending menacing messages to politicians, including threatening a “coup” against former NSW premier Nathan Rees. He was eventually sentenced to a 14-month intensive corrections order and 120 hours community service in 2021.
ABC veteran steps aside
Veteran ABC regional broadcaster Nicole Chvastek has resigned from Aunty under somewhat strange circumstances.
Not treated to the fanfare that typically accompanies the exit of a public broadcasting stalwart, the long-time regional Statewide Drive host had been on leave for months.
This column has now confirmed that a Fair Work Commission bullying claim she filed against Aunty a few months ago has been discontinued.
When contacted, her lawyer Mark Comito was tight-lipped about the conditions of Chvastek’s departure, and wouldn’t be drawn on whether a settlement was paid.
The ABC has also been tight-lipped about why she wasn’t on air after first lodging the bullying claim.
“We can confirm that Nicole Chvastek has resigned from the ABC and acknowledge the contribution she has made as the presenter of ABC Victoria’s Statewide Drive program over the past 10 years,” an ABC spokesperson told CBD on Wednesday.
“We wish her all the best.”
ESSENTIAL SERVICE
It’s not every day that you see progressive pollsters-turned-strategic communications firm Essential Media join forces with CT Group, for years the Liberal Party’s go-to choice founded by John Howard’s old electoral necromancer Sir Lynton Crosby.
But the push for an Indigenous Voice to parliament makes strange bedfellows, and with support for Yes looking increasingly shaky, the campaign has enlisted Essential Media to the cause.
The firm has been running engagement for Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, putting together educational town halls on the Voice with civil society, business leaders and politicians across the political aisle. Those calls to MPs prompted them to register as one of the group’s lobbyists.
CT, meanwhile, has been heavily involved in the Yes campaign, advising AICR for yonks.
So if the Voice – backed by the PM, every major sporting body, captains of industry, celebrities, and seasoned political operatives – can’t beat a campaign run by Advance Australia, a group best known for its offensive ad campaigns, then what hope do they have?
MORROW NEVER DIES
CBD reported last month that a near four-year legal battle between former The Chaser star Julian Morrow and his erstwhile business partner Nick Murray was finally over after the NSW Court of Appeal handed the comedian a definitive loss.
Credit: John Shakespeare
Not so fast. Morrow has sought leave to appeal that decision to the High Court, with top defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, standing alongside him in the last chance saloon.
There are friend break-ups. And then there are friend break-ups that lead to years of litigation and millions in legal bills. This is the latter. The bitter, protracted dispute began when Murray’s production company CJZ agreed to sell its share in consumer affairs show The Checkout to Morrow’s Giant Dwarf after ABC management axed the program.
Unbeknownst to Murray, Morrow had been pitching a similar show to Aunty’s executives. A furious Murray refused to sign a deed of release when he found out, nuking the show, and leading Morrow to sue for a breach of the sale agreement. Murray counter-sued for misleading and deceptive conduct, while Morrow sued him back for defamation over four angry emails sent to ABC management, including one likening the comedian to Lord Voldemort.
The messy, high-profile case (Morrow drew on a character witness list that included Arts Minister Tony Burke and failed Labor candidate Kristina Keneally) initially saw Justice James Stevenson finding for Murray on the commercial aspects, but ruling that he defamed the comedian.
The NSW Court of Appeal reversed the defamation decision, and rejected Morrow’s appeal on the commercial case. And now, here we are, with Morrow’s legal team challenging both the commercial and defamation rulings made by Justices Julie Ward, Anna Mitchelmore and Christine Adamson in the Court of Appeal.
“The appeal covers both the malice of Nick Murray and CJZ in defamation and the finding that their malicious falsehoods did not cause economic loss,” Morrow told CBD.
Murray, meanwhile, compared his rival to the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Morrow is also seeking further legal advice regarding the financial implications of the case. He’ll be on the hook for legal costs of around $2.5 million, although the final figure won’t be settled until all avenues of appeal are exhausted.
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