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High-Profile Defamation Cases in Politics

In Australia, there are a number of protections and defences under Defamation Law – including parliamentary privilege, which gives politicians absolute immunity for anything said or done during official parliamentary proceedings. This includes speeches, debates, and committee hearings – no matter how heated or nasty things can get across the floor – and they cannot be sued for defamation.

However, if those defamatory statements are repeated (or new ones made) outside of parliament, parliamentary privilege no longer applies. And it’s landed many politicians in hot water. Some may be able to rely on limited defences like qualified privilege or public interest, but these are not guaranteed and rely on certain thresholds being met.

Another aspect of life as a politician is being in the public eye and facing criticism from the general public or media outlets. Some politicians don’t take criticism too well, especially if they feel their reputation has been unfairly harmed, with a number of politicians pursuing defamation action.

Let’s take a look:

 

High-Profile Politician Defamation Cases

Victorian MP Sam Groth and wife Brittany
Recently we shared the news of Victorian MP Sam Groth and his wife Brittany, who issued defamation and privacy claims against News Corp over personal stories they describe as ‘gutter journalism’ lacking journalistic rigor, and a serious invasion of Brittany Groth’s privacy under new tort laws. A legal letter from law firm Giles George alleges two articles in the Herald Sun and social media posts were at the centre of the defamation and privacy breach claims.
The Groths demands included all the articles and posts be removed permanently and the paper publish an apology,
For further reading, check out The Guardian article here.
Given the new privacy tort that came into effect on the 10th June 2025, we will start to see more civil cases involving serious breaches of privacy intersecting with defamation proceedings.

 

Clive Palmer and WA Premier Mark McGowan

In 2022, Clive Palmer and WA Premier Mark McGowan both sued each other for defamation over public insults made during press conferences and interviews.

Both men were found to have defamed each other with nominal damages awarded: Palmer was awarded $20,000 and McGowan $5,000 with Justice Lee stating they “both gave as good as they got.”

Read more here.

 

Joe Hockey and Fairfax Media

In 2015, then-treasurer Joe Hockey sued The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times over the headline “Treasurer for Sale” relating to political donations and access.

The court found the headline to be defamatory and awarded Hockey $200,000 in damages but dismissed other aspects of his claim.

You can read more here.

 

Pauline Hanson and Sydney Morning Herald

In 1999, Pauline Hanson sued the Sydney Morning Herald for defamation over a published cartoon depicting her in prison stripes, suggesting she had been jailed even though she hadn’t. The court ruled in favour of the Sydney Morning Herald, finding the cartoon to be satirical and subsequently dismissed Pauline Hanson’s defamation claim.

 

A satirical image of Donald Trump via Jon Tyson on Unsplash

At Litton Legal, we’re experts in Defamation Law. If you’ve experience reputational harm and need assistance, we can help. Get in touch with our friendly team here.