1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,840 Speaker 1: Now we know that the defamation trial of Northern Territory 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Senator just into Namba jimper Price. It has wrapped up 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: in the Federal court after several days. 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 2: Now. 5 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: She's being sued by the Central Land Council's Chief Executive, 6 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: Leslie Turner, over defamation claims. Mister Turner alleges that miss 7 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: Price damaged his reputation by well sending a press release 8 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: to more than one thousand journalists wrongly claiming he was 9 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: unfit for the role and should be dismissed. ABC News 10 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:34,599 Speaker 1: journalist Olivana Luthurus has been covering this very closely and 11 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: joins me on the line. Good morning to you, Ollie. 12 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. 13 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 1: Lovely to have you on the show. Now, I know 14 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: that the senator is accused of failing to check the 15 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,480 Speaker 1: truth of her claims. Talk us through what's played out 16 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: over the last week or so. 17 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been a really sort of in depth and 18 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 2: somewhat complex civil trial in the Federal Court in Darwin, 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 2: with her from many different witnesses, including staff members from 20 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: the Central Land Council, media advisors, former media advisors of 21 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 2: Senator Number jimper Price. And of course we heard plenty 22 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 2: of evidence from Leslie Turner, the chief executive of the 23 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 2: Central Land Council who's bringing this claim, as well as 24 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 2: the Senator herself. Both of those people spent about two 25 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 2: days each being cross examined in the witness box by 26 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 2: the various lawyers involved. So yeah, really sort of dramatic 27 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 2: and complex proceeding. 28 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: It sounds like it has been. And certainly watching the 29 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: coverage as well that you've done over the last week 30 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: or so, it seems that way. I mean, the closing addresses, 31 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: they were heard from both sides, as I understand it, yesterday, 32 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: What were the points that sort of stood out? 33 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, So we'd heard about a couple of hours 34 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 2: of closing addresses from both the various parties, and I 35 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: suppose from Leslie Turner's lawyer, through Chrisanto, who's a very 36 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 2: well known defamation barrister. She sort of, you know, she 37 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 2: said things like the fact that the Senator had sought 38 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 2: to tarnish mister Turner's otherwise exemplary reputation. She said that, 39 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 2: you know, the Senator had succeeded in doing that, that 40 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 2: she'd essentially failed to verify and check the information that 41 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 2: she was you know, putting out in that media release 42 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 2: and that you know, she really should have taken extra 43 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 2: steps to to sort of do so. This media release 44 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 2: that went out to almost two thousand journalists included claims 45 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 2: that the mister Turner was no longer fit to be 46 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 2: in the role. It repeated claims made by the Council's 47 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: ben chairman, Matthew Palmer that the that the CEO had 48 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 2: faced in no confidence motion. Essentially, what we heard from 49 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 2: mister Turner's lawyer yesterday was that that motion never even happened. 50 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 2: From the senator's lawyer yesterday, Peter Gray, he essentially said 51 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 2: that this wasn't an individual to attack on mister Turner, 52 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 2: that the Senator has been campaigning and advocating for focus 53 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 2: on Aboriginal Land councils for many years and her involvement 54 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 2: or her comments in twenty twenty four were really just 55 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,839 Speaker 2: a continuation of that, and also that it wasn't her 56 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 2: release that damaged mister Turner's reputation. It was actually all 57 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 2: of the media coverage that was really just repeating matt 58 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 2: Palmer's claims instead of the Senators. 59 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: Now I understand the judges reserve the decision. Now, where 60 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: do we go from here, like, what are the next steps? 61 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, So the judge yesterday, Michael Wheelahan, he essentially said 62 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 2: that he needed to take some time to come to 63 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 2: a sort of thoughtful decision on all of the evidence 64 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 2: that he's heard over the last seven days. The parties 65 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 2: are going to get a little bit of extra time 66 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 2: to do written submissions. So that just essentially means more 67 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 2: of the same sort of summing up of their case 68 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 2: and submissions to the judge. It means we just don't 69 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 2: have to sit in court and listen to hours and 70 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 2: hours of probably very complex legal argument. But yeah, probably 71 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 2: another at least a couple of weeks or months before 72 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 2: we get a decision. 73 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: Yeah. Right, And Ollie, is there much idea what kind 74 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: of impact this case could have on the senator's role? 75 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: I guess it's hard to tell until we've got that outcome. 76 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's an interesting question because this is something that 77 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: came up in the media prior to the trial actually 78 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 2: making it to court. I mean, Just Enterprise put out 79 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 2: a public call for crowdfunding essentially to be able to 80 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 2: fund this legal proceeding against her, and of course there 81 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 2: was serious you know, there was concerns that she was 82 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,479 Speaker 2: going to go bankrupt, but you know, she managed to 83 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 2: stump up the funds to sort of go through with this. 84 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 2: We don't know how much mister Turner is going to 85 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 2: be seeking in damages if he's successful, and of course 86 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 2: there's plenty of legal costs to go with this, so yeah, 87 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 2: I guess it just remains to be seen. 88 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: Well, Oliva Lasuris, We're all going to be watching very closely. 89 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: I always appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining 90 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: us on the show this morning. 91 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:02,119 Speaker 2: It's always a pleasure. 92 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, thanks so much.