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NSW Racing boss loses ABC defamation fight
Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys lost his defamation appeal against the ABC despite a Federal Court judge finding that a news segment on retired racehorses “treated him very shabbily”.
Naomi Neilson
Justice Steven Rares said it was “understandable” Mr V’landys was upset with the October 2019 segment, titled “The Final Race”, but he and a full bench consisting of Justice Anna Katzman and Justice David O’Callaghan did not find the program defamed him.
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The Federal Court upheld the original decision made by Justice Michael Wigney, who found none of Mr V’landys’ claims for defamation were conveyed during ABC’s 7.30 program.
The program showed graphic footage of retired racehorses being transported for slaughter at a Queensland abattoir and featured commentary from animal rights campaigners.
An interview with Mr V’landys was shown between this footage.
Mr V’landys alleged that the ABC and journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna made him seem as if he “callously permitted the wholesale slaughter of thoroughbred horses” and treated him deceitfully by not showing him the footage or putting the allegations directly to him.
Justice Rares agreed he was mistreated.
“It treated him very shabbily because, although the Ms Meldrum-Hanna had a wealth of evidence such as covert footage and information about the thoroughbred horses at the Camden auctions, on which she could have sought his comments or confronted him, she deliberately never put that to him,” Justice Rares found.
“Instead, the (program) … put it to air with Mr V’landys’ interview spliced between the criticisms of (activists).”
Justice Rares said Ms Meldrum-Hanna and the ABC did not give Mr V’landys the opportunity to respond to this criticism.
“This was not high-quality journalism or fair or decent treatment of him,” he said.
Mr V’landys appeal was dismissed, and he was ordered to pay costs.
