An Aussie SLAPP

Australia’s largest company BHP has been embroiled in a dispute with Simon Turner, a coal miner who suffered a serious injury in 2015. 

New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is a government-operated scheme that provides comprehensive, no-fault personal injury insurance to every citizen, permanent resident and temporary visitor in the country.  ACC was established in 1974.  The scheme generally pays 80% of an injured worker’s income, and personal injury litigation is rare.

It’s a good system – probably better than Australia’s Worker’s Compensation scheme where personal injury litigation is a lot more common.

Without going into detail about Turner’s situation at this early stage, we became aware that independent journalist Michael West is now being proceeded against by BHP.  West was ordered to take down publicised material and there is now a weaponised costs application before the courts.

The litigation arose from an employment relationship (Turner was an employee of BHP before his injury) hence our interest.  And wherever there’s a SLAPP, there’s always a SLAPP-bringer.

Here’s the link to an amusing TikTok video, and we’ll publish more as relevant information comes in.  We’ll also advise if we too get a takedown notice from BHP. To get updates from the source, it's www.michaelwest.com.au.

Tristam Price

Editor

Lower Hutt, NZ