NSW:Judge plans to order journos to reveal sources

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2012
NSW:Judge plans to order journos to reveal sources

A judge is proposing to order three Fairfax journalists to reveal their sources for
a story relating to former defence minister, JOEL FITZGIBBON.

Chinese-Australian property developer HELEN LIU has taken NSW Supreme Court action
against the Age newspaper and Fairfax journalists RICHARD BAKER, PHILLIP DORLING and NICK
MCKENZIE.

She has asked Justice LUCY MCCALLUM to make orders which would effectively compel the
journalists to reveal their sources for a February 2010 article.

The judge said in a preliminary judgment in 2010 it alleged Ms LIU had paid 150 thousand
dollars to Mr FITZGIBBON, in circumstances suggesting corruption.

Today, Justice MCCALLUM said she proposed to order that the defendants hand over "all
documents in their possession which relate to the identity of the sources".

But she only handed out her 60-page judgment to the lawyers to enable them to consider
if any non-publication orders will be applied for.

She will return to court this afternoon to deal with them and is then expected to publish
her judgment.

AAP RTV mss/crh

KEYWORD: LEGAL: LIU (SYDNEY)

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