Fracking company hits out at 'failed' legal challenge
A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws.
Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group.
Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws.
Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot.
"We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing.
"The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there."
But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals".
The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor.
"This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said.
Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure.
Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres.
James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers.
He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans.
Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources.
Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court.
He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices.
"What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said.
"We would say vanishingly small in this case."
Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater.
Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river".
"Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read.
The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days.
A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws.
Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group.
Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws.
Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot.
"We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing.
"The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there."
But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals".
The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor.
"This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said.
Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure.
Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres.
James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers.
He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans.
Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources.
Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court.
He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices.
"What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said.
"We would say vanishingly small in this case."
Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater.
Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river".
"Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read.
The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days.
A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws.
Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group.
Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws.
Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot.
"We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing.
"The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there."
But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals".
The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor.
"This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said.
Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure.
Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres.
James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers.
He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans.
Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources.
Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court.
He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices.
"What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said.
"We would say vanishingly small in this case."
Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater.
Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river".
"Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read.
The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days.
A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws.
Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group.
Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws.
Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot.
"We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing.
"The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there."
But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals".
The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor.
"This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said.
Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure.
Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres.
James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers.
He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans.
Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources.
Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court.
He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices.
"What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said.
"We would say vanishingly small in this case."
Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater.
Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river".
"Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read.
The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days.
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The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Fracking company hits out at 'failed' legal challenge
A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws. Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group. Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws. Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot. "We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing. "The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there." But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals". The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor. "This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said. Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure. Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres. James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers. He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans. Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources. Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court. He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices. "What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said. "We would say vanishingly small in this case." Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater. Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river". "Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read. The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days. A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws. Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group. Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws. Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot. "We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing. "The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there." But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals". The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor. "This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said. Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure. Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres. James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers. He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans. Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources. Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court. He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices. "What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said. "We would say vanishingly small in this case." Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater. Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river". "Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read. The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days. A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws. Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group. Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws. Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot. "We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing. "The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there." But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals". The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor. "This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said. Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure. Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres. James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers. He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans. Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources. Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court. He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices. "What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said. "We would say vanishingly small in this case." Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater. Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river". "Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read. The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days. A resources company is defending its commitment to environmental standards as it fights a landmark legal challenge to fracking under expanded national laws. Tamboran B2 has been given the green light to explore 15 gas wells in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, which concerns an environmentalist group. Lock The Gate Alliance is asking the Federal Court to prevent the project from progressing until the government can assess the impacts under the water trigger provisions of national environmental laws. Research and investigations head Georgina Woods said the group's legal challenge was "very important" because work had started on the Shenandoah fracking pilot. "We are very concerned about the potential of the project to significantly impact groundwater resources through contamination," she said before the first day of the court hearing. "The whole of the Northern Territory relies on groundwater. Water is life up there." But a spokesperson for Tamboran B2 said the company was "deeply committed to upholding the highest environmental standards" and the project had undergone "rigorous assessment and approvals". The company said its gas well exploration bid was reviewed by two independent bodies, one of which concluded the potential impact on water was minor. "This Federal Court action is the latest in a series of failed attempts by those wishing to delay the development of the Beetaloo Basin that would deny the economic and social benefits of the project to the people of the Northern Territory," the spokesperson said. Tamboran B2 is appraising the sites with an eye to extracting natural gas through fracking, which involves injecting a combination of water, chemicals and sand into deep shale layers underground at high pressure. Its parent company Tamboran is the largest acreage holder and operator in the Beetaloo Basin, with about 1.9 million net prospective acres. James Hutton SC, for Lock The Gate Alliance, said it was the largest gas project of its kind in the Northern Territory and involved drilling through "critically important" aquifers. He argued the drilling, appraisal, production and decommissioning of the wells would have a significant impact on delicate ecosystems and pristine areas previously undisturbed by humans. Mr Hutton is pushing for an injunction under the federal water trigger legislation, which was expanded in 2023 to require the assessment of the impact of large coal mining and coal seam gas projects on water resources. Tamboran B2 had not yet referred the project to the national regulator because it was only at the approved exploration stage, its barrister Edward Muston SC told the court. He said there was no likelihood of any significant impact on water from the project thanks to a series of safeguards, which he likened to a stack of Swiss cheese slices. "What's the likelihood of all of those pieces of Swiss cheese that are sitting together lining up in a way which means the holes will align?" Mr Muston said. "We would say vanishingly small in this case." Ms Woods said Lock The Gate Alliance felt compelled to bring the legal action because fracking was an "inherently risky activity" that risked contaminating precious groundwater. Anti-fossil fuels activists gathered outside the courthouse on Monday morning to show their support for Lock the Gate Alliance, holding signs declaring "No water, no life" and "Cry me a river". "Stop Tamboran fracking up NT water, use the trigger," another read. The Federal Court case is the landmark legal challenge launched against fracking under the water trigger and is expected to run for several days.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
'Line in the sand': Lib leader voted for Pesutto loan
A state Liberal leader is calling for his colleagues to end a long-running civil war after the party agreed to a $1.55 million loan to save John Pesutto's political career. The Victorian Liberals' administrative committee met on Thursday night and agreed to lend former leader John Pesutto the seven-figure sum to settle legal costs owed to first-term MP Moira Deeming. The cash is separate from campaign money and not drawn from taxpayer funds. Opposition Leader Brad Battin was among those who voted to support the deal, with the money to be paid directly to Mrs Deeming and Mr Pesutto to repay it at market-rate interest. "We've actually put the line in the sand on that and now we really have to focus on moving forward," Mr Battin told ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday. Mr Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs to Mrs Deeming after the Federal Court found he defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-Nazis. It left him facing bankruptcy, which would have triggered his exit from parliament and a subsequent by-election in his marginal seat of Hawthorn, unless the debt was paid back in a matter of weeks. Mr Pesutto, who has already coughed up $315,000 in damages, had only raised about $750,000 through wealthy backers and a GoFundMe campaign. Time is running out for Mr Battin to unite the Liberals before the next state election in November 2026. Mr Battin urged his fellow MPs to stop the infighting to present a credible alternative to the Victorian Labor government, in power for all but four years since 1999. "I really believe now is our opportunity to ensure each and every one of my members has a think about what they've wanted to get into parliament for, and it wasn't to be in opposition," he said. Mrs Deeming, who was expelled from the party room before being welcomed back in December, appeared unprepared to follow his advice when she took to social media after the bailout news. "They failed to protect her when she was attacked," she posted. "They punished her for defending herself ... this is what institutional abuse looks like." An offer to defer some of the legal bill in exchange for Mrs Deeming's guaranteed preselection and Mr Pesutto swearing off trying to return as leader for three years was rebuffed. The proposed deal led to a complaint to the state's corruption watchdog, but Mrs Deeming has denied claims of blackmail. A state Liberal leader is calling for his colleagues to end a long-running civil war after the party agreed to a $1.55 million loan to save John Pesutto's political career. The Victorian Liberals' administrative committee met on Thursday night and agreed to lend former leader John Pesutto the seven-figure sum to settle legal costs owed to first-term MP Moira Deeming. The cash is separate from campaign money and not drawn from taxpayer funds. Opposition Leader Brad Battin was among those who voted to support the deal, with the money to be paid directly to Mrs Deeming and Mr Pesutto to repay it at market-rate interest. "We've actually put the line in the sand on that and now we really have to focus on moving forward," Mr Battin told ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday. Mr Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs to Mrs Deeming after the Federal Court found he defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-Nazis. It left him facing bankruptcy, which would have triggered his exit from parliament and a subsequent by-election in his marginal seat of Hawthorn, unless the debt was paid back in a matter of weeks. Mr Pesutto, who has already coughed up $315,000 in damages, had only raised about $750,000 through wealthy backers and a GoFundMe campaign. Time is running out for Mr Battin to unite the Liberals before the next state election in November 2026. Mr Battin urged his fellow MPs to stop the infighting to present a credible alternative to the Victorian Labor government, in power for all but four years since 1999. "I really believe now is our opportunity to ensure each and every one of my members has a think about what they've wanted to get into parliament for, and it wasn't to be in opposition," he said. Mrs Deeming, who was expelled from the party room before being welcomed back in December, appeared unprepared to follow his advice when she took to social media after the bailout news. "They failed to protect her when she was attacked," she posted. "They punished her for defending herself ... this is what institutional abuse looks like." An offer to defer some of the legal bill in exchange for Mrs Deeming's guaranteed preselection and Mr Pesutto swearing off trying to return as leader for three years was rebuffed. The proposed deal led to a complaint to the state's corruption watchdog, but Mrs Deeming has denied claims of blackmail. A state Liberal leader is calling for his colleagues to end a long-running civil war after the party agreed to a $1.55 million loan to save John Pesutto's political career. The Victorian Liberals' administrative committee met on Thursday night and agreed to lend former leader John Pesutto the seven-figure sum to settle legal costs owed to first-term MP Moira Deeming. The cash is separate from campaign money and not drawn from taxpayer funds. Opposition Leader Brad Battin was among those who voted to support the deal, with the money to be paid directly to Mrs Deeming and Mr Pesutto to repay it at market-rate interest. "We've actually put the line in the sand on that and now we really have to focus on moving forward," Mr Battin told ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday. Mr Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs to Mrs Deeming after the Federal Court found he defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-Nazis. It left him facing bankruptcy, which would have triggered his exit from parliament and a subsequent by-election in his marginal seat of Hawthorn, unless the debt was paid back in a matter of weeks. Mr Pesutto, who has already coughed up $315,000 in damages, had only raised about $750,000 through wealthy backers and a GoFundMe campaign. Time is running out for Mr Battin to unite the Liberals before the next state election in November 2026. Mr Battin urged his fellow MPs to stop the infighting to present a credible alternative to the Victorian Labor government, in power for all but four years since 1999. "I really believe now is our opportunity to ensure each and every one of my members has a think about what they've wanted to get into parliament for, and it wasn't to be in opposition," he said. Mrs Deeming, who was expelled from the party room before being welcomed back in December, appeared unprepared to follow his advice when she took to social media after the bailout news. "They failed to protect her when she was attacked," she posted. "They punished her for defending herself ... this is what institutional abuse looks like." An offer to defer some of the legal bill in exchange for Mrs Deeming's guaranteed preselection and Mr Pesutto swearing off trying to return as leader for three years was rebuffed. The proposed deal led to a complaint to the state's corruption watchdog, but Mrs Deeming has denied claims of blackmail. A state Liberal leader is calling for his colleagues to end a long-running civil war after the party agreed to a $1.55 million loan to save John Pesutto's political career. The Victorian Liberals' administrative committee met on Thursday night and agreed to lend former leader John Pesutto the seven-figure sum to settle legal costs owed to first-term MP Moira Deeming. The cash is separate from campaign money and not drawn from taxpayer funds. Opposition Leader Brad Battin was among those who voted to support the deal, with the money to be paid directly to Mrs Deeming and Mr Pesutto to repay it at market-rate interest. "We've actually put the line in the sand on that and now we really have to focus on moving forward," Mr Battin told ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday. Mr Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs to Mrs Deeming after the Federal Court found he defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-Nazis. It left him facing bankruptcy, which would have triggered his exit from parliament and a subsequent by-election in his marginal seat of Hawthorn, unless the debt was paid back in a matter of weeks. Mr Pesutto, who has already coughed up $315,000 in damages, had only raised about $750,000 through wealthy backers and a GoFundMe campaign. Time is running out for Mr Battin to unite the Liberals before the next state election in November 2026. Mr Battin urged his fellow MPs to stop the infighting to present a credible alternative to the Victorian Labor government, in power for all but four years since 1999. "I really believe now is our opportunity to ensure each and every one of my members has a think about what they've wanted to get into parliament for, and it wasn't to be in opposition," he said. Mrs Deeming, who was expelled from the party room before being welcomed back in December, appeared unprepared to follow his advice when she took to social media after the bailout news. "They failed to protect her when she was attacked," she posted. "They punished her for defending herself ... this is what institutional abuse looks like." An offer to defer some of the legal bill in exchange for Mrs Deeming's guaranteed preselection and Mr Pesutto swearing off trying to return as leader for three years was rebuffed. The proposed deal led to a complaint to the state's corruption watchdog, but Mrs Deeming has denied claims of blackmail.
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- Perth Now
Optus says yes to $100m fine for dodgy sales tactics
Optus is on the hook for a $100 million fine after it pressured Aboriginal customers in remote regions into buying phone products they did not need or want. The nation's second-biggest mobile operator has admitted to engaging in "unconscionable conduct" after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launched court action. "In many instances, the consumers did not want or need, could not use or could not afford what they were sold, and in some cases consumers were pursued for debts resulting from these sales," the commission said on Wednesday. It said many vulnerable customers were among the 400-plus victims across 16 stores between August 2019 and July 2023 pressured into buying phones. The consumer watchdog specifically pointed the finger at Optus for deceiving Indigenous Australians in regional, remote and very remote areas. Other customers who purchased unwanted products included people with diminished cognitive capacity, unemployed, having limited financial literacy or English not being a first language. The watchdog and Optus will jointly ask the Federal Court to impose a total penalty of $100 million for breaching consumer law, but it is up to the court to decide the final fine. The national peak communications consumer body said the fine would represent one of the largest consumer law penalties in Australian history. "Unconscionable conduct is a high bar and one that Optus has spectacularly surpassed in its behaviour preying on some of our most vulnerable communities and consumers, including Indigenous communities," Australian Communications Consumer Action Network chief executive Carol Bennett said. Optus CEO Stephen Rue said the company's misconduct was inexcusable and unacceptable. "I would like to sincerely apologise to all customers affected by the misconduct in some of our stores," Mr Rue said. "Optus failed these customers, and the company should have acted more quickly when the misconduct was first reported." Examples of the misconduct also included sales staff failing to point out whether Optus even had coverage in remote areas where they lived, failing to explain the financial obligations involved in contracts and misleading users into believing certain goods were free. "The conduct, which included selling inappropriate, unwanted or unaffordable mobiles and phone plans to people who are vulnerable or experiencing disadvantage, is simply unacceptable," commission deputy chair Catriona Lowe said. "Many of these consumers who were vulnerable or experiencing disadvantage also experienced significant financial harm." Ms Lowe said the commission was particularly concerned Optus used debt collectors to pursue some customers after it had launched internal investigations into the sales conduct. She noted the telco's actions caused "significant emotional distress and fear". Financial counsellors said the case was further proof the telco sector needed stronger, enforceable regulation. "Fines are important, but what we really need is structural reform and genuine cultural safety built into how businesses engage with First Nations communities," Financial Counselling Australia's First Nations policy director Lynda Edwards said. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
