TODAY: Registered Clubs Association of NSW folds …

The Registered Clubs Association of New South Wales is suing Andrew Wilkie for defamation in relation to his comments on the ABC about Peter Garrett being offered money by someone in the poker machine industry.

Mr Wilkie is the second defendant in the case, the first defendant being the ABC, but is conducting his defence independently of the ABC.

Mr Wilkie is vigorously defending himself and is being represented by Nick Xenophon and barrister Peter Quinn.

The case is listed for hearing in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney at 9:30am this Friday 27 November and a Notice of Objection will be filed at the Court today.

The Registered Clubs Association of NSW represents more than 1200 clubs. According to the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, clubs in that state operate 70,514 poker machines which is about one third of all poker machines in Australia.

• James Boyce in Comments: First it was the Gunns 20. Now it is the Pokies 2. We must stand together. Hang in there Andrew. They are but thugs. • James Boyce on pokies … on Tasmanian Times, HERE

• Karl Stevens in Comments: I’m sure the Registered Clubs Assoc of NSW are terrified of what was revealed in the ‘Ka-Ching! Pokie Nation’ doco. Who would have known pokies exploit vulnerabilities in the human brain concerning ‘anticipation of reward’? This was dynamite information because anybody can exploit these vulnerabilities at any time for their own benefit and let’s face it, the good are not running the Earth … yet?

JAMES BOYCE EARLIER on Tasmanian Times …

• The Tasmanian Politician … and the powerful will of Mr Farrell …

FRIDAY, November 27 …

• THE REGISTERED CLUBS ASSOCIATION OF NSW V ANDREW WILKIE, NSW SUPREME COURT

The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, will comment on the legal action against him by The Registered Clubs Association of New South Wales, immediately following the case’s hearing in the Supreme Court of NSW.

The Registered Clubs Association of NSW is suing Mr Wilkie for defamation in relation to his comments on the ABC about Peter Garrett being offered money by someone in the poker machine industry.

Mr Wilkie will be joined by Nick Xenophon who is representing him.

“I look forward to having my day in court and am confident of being successful,” Mr Wilkie said. “The complaint against me by The Registered Clubs Association of NSW is entirely unwarranted and I will fight it most vigorously if the Association continues to pursue this course of action.”

• Clubs NSW folds …

I am pleased that Clubs New South Wales has finally seen sense and dropped its unwarranted legal action against me.

There was never any basis for their intention to sue me for defamation in relation to my comments on the ABC about Peter Garrett being offered money by someone in the poker machine industry. That they slammed this action on me in the Supreme Court no less, without any warning or Notice of Concern, was a remarkable move and one which ultimately backfired. My legal counsel was always of the view that this was a complete beat-up so it’s unsurprising that the action has been abandoned by Clubs NSW at the very first hearing.

The threat by Clubs NSW to sue me was no small matter. They represent over 1,200 clubs, which operate between them some 70,000 poker machines and enjoy about $3,500,000,000 in poker machine revenue annually. For them to be suing a Member of the Federal Parliament for doing no more than publicising possible wrongdoing was always a most worrying development.

Although the action against me has been dismissed the substantive matter, that former Labor Minister Peter Garrett claimed repeatedly but then retracted a claim he was offered an envelope full of cash by someone in the poker machine industry after he was elected to Parliament, is still to be addressed. I have referred this matter to a number of government agencies so hopefully we will eventually get to the bottom of it.

Bad things happen when people are forced into silence. So I will continue to speak up when I see wrongdoing, and won’t be intimidated by anyone or any industry. I certainly won’t be silenced by the poker machine industry generally, which inflicts shocking harm in the community and which always seems to get its way as far as most politicians are concerned.

• John Hawkins in Comments: Andrew Wilkie is real live, thinking and proper representative for the people of Tasmania in the Federal Parliament. We are so lucky to have someone of this calibre untainted by Lib/Lab politics batting for us. Light years ahead of the likes of Number one on the Liberal ticket the appalling Abetz.

• John Biggs in Comments: It’s great feeling to have a politician who stands up for his principles. The politician who comes out of this as weak as piss is Peter Garrett. Who as a fierce leftie — so he sang– turned out as an obedient little puppy and did what his masters told him. Then when he did speak out — they tried to bribe me — he folded “But they didn’t. Just kidding. Sorry about that.” He screwed up on almost every environmental issue, including the pulp mill. Labor still at it: recruiting popular stars like Adam Goodes, Nova Peris when they have run out of party hacks. What they have in common is that they are all policy-free. Incidentally, read Laura Tingle’s latest Quarterly Essay which explains the above and a lot lot more, all about the collapse of government in Australia, starting with Hawke a bit, Keating a bit more, Howard really stuffed the checks and balances system and Abbott trampled on what is left. The key is an independent and expert pubic service, which is incompatible with neoliberalism. That and a two party system which isn’t a two party system.