🗞️Greens Leader Threatens Legal Action Against Dreyfus for Defamation

Green Leader Adam Bandt statement during a doorstop press conference in Parliament House.

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus has been threatened with legal action by Greens leader Adam Bandt for comments he made that he claims were defamatory.

The Statement

In a statement, Mr. Bandt said, "My lawyers have written to the Attorney-General regarding what I consider to be defamatory statements he made about the Greens and me yesterday.

"I understand a number of media outlets have chosen to stop broadcasting and publishing his statements because of legal concerns.  I welcome their restraint.

I think that the first law officer of this country should not make utterly unfounded statements and spread disinformation.  No politician should do that.

I would prefer not to have to pursue these matters legally, and I hope the attorney will respond in a proper way. The Prime Minister and Labour are not the victims in these matters. The victims are the over 36,000 people killed in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the hostages, and the 1200 people killed on October 7, compounded by the failure of the Labour government to take action against the Israeli government’s invasion."

The Opposition and Labour

The federal government and House opposition criticised the Greens' Israel-Gaza response on Wednesday.

Main parties accused Greens of "consciously and deliberately spreading" misinformation and inciting supporters to target politicians' electorate offices.

Katy Gallagher

Frontbencher Katy Gallagher again restated the claim that the Greens were "misrepresenting the Commonwealth government's position.".

When questioned about the events on ABC News Breakfast, Gallagher stated:

I think we’ve been clear about our concern for the people of Gaza: the fact we’ve been calling for a ceasefire, the fact we’ve been calling for more humanitarian assistance to go, and to go quickly.

I think some of the frustration you saw in the parliament was with the continuation of the Greens misrepresenting the Commonwealth government’s position.

We recognise that there’s a lot of concern, fear and distress in the community about the events in the Middle East. I think the point the prime minister made yesterday and has made before is that it’s the role of political leaders, leaders in the community, to try and bring the country together, not stir division and fear.

And... I know that many of my colleagues haven’t been able to open their electorate offices as they normally would. And that pressure is being reflected, I think, in frustration in the prime minister’s comments. We should all be together, standing as a parliament, not stoking division and spreading misinformation across the community.

breakline

Nothing is free like a free press. Give now to help sustain independent journalism in your community.

It's evident from recent events that there has never been a better moment to support local news. Donate now to help sustain independent reporting.

break line

Got a News Tip?

Contact our editor via Proton Mail encrypted, X Direct Message, LinkedIn, or email. You can securely message him on Signal by using his username, Miko Santos.

breakline

More on The Evening Post AU

  • Get Evening Post Wrap - for nighly bite size news around Australia and the world.

  • Podwires Daily - for providing news about audio trends and podcasts.

  • Podwires Asia - for reporting on podcasting and audio trends in South East Asia

  • There’s a Glitch - updated tech news and scam and fraud trends

  • Manpalikha - The world's and Asia's most inventive advertisements and news.

  • The Freeman Chronicle Podcast - features expert interviews on current political and social issues in Australia and worldwide.

  • That Podcast Exchange - This podcast is an insightful conversation with people at the top of their game and deconstructs them to find the tools, tactics, and tricks to help you achieve your dream goal as Podcast Manager.

The Evening Post AU readers receive journalism free of financial and political influence.

We set our own news agenda, which is always based on facts rather than billionaire ownership or political pressure. Despite the financial challenges that our industry faces, we have decided to keep our reporting open to the public because we believe that everyone has the right to know the truth about the events that shape their world.Thanks to the support of our readers, we can continue to provide free reporting. If you can, please choose to support The Evening Post Australia.