INDEPENDENT MP Andrew Wilkie and independent senator Nick Xenophon have welcomed the media regulator’s investigation into whether the Nine Network breached its licence conditions after its rugby league commentators attacked proposed poker machine reforms during a broadcast.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority investigation comes amid growing evidence that the supposedly off-the-cuff comments were planned, and with the knowledge of Clubs Australia.
The Australian has learned that Nine advised Clubs Australia of the attack hours before NRL commentators Ray Warren and Phil Gould criticised the federal government’s mandatory precommitment policy on poker machines.
Clubs Australia spokeswoman Carissa Simmons told The Australian: “My understanding is that Channel Nine did let us know late Friday that something would be said.
“We didn’t pay for it, we didn’t ask for it and we welcome the comment, but that’s really all we can say.”
During the preliminary final between Manly and Brisbane on September 23, the two commentators described the reforms as a “rubbish policy” that would not help problem gamblers.
Mr Wilkie, the member for Denison, said yesterday the fact that Nine had tipped off Clubs Australia before the broadcast “rounds out a very strong prima facie case”.
Last week, Ray Warren told Triple M that “it was a directive from up top that it be read by at least somebody, so I read it”.
His statement undermines Nine’s stated position that the comments were off the cuff.
Last week, Nine’s compliance manager, Shelley Bates, wrote to a complainant that the remarks “were purely the opinions of the commentators”. Nine refused to answer questions yesterday.
The network said it would respond to a letter from Mr Wilkie and Senator Xenophon, but said “we do not intend to offer a running commentary on the matter in the media”.
Senator Xenophon last night told The Australian that this was not good enough. “Ray Warren said he was given a job to do, we need to know who gave him that job and how high up does this go,” he said.
Mr Wilkie urged Nine and the pokies industry to come clean and to “apologise and officially retract the misleading and alarming statements”.
“Free speech is one thing, but blatantly contravening important legislative provisions is another thing entirely,” he said.
