Adjudication No. 367 (April 1988) [1988] APC 14

ADJUDICATION No. 367 (April 1988)

Mr S Bingle complains about a report in The Sun on 19 August, 1987 of a speech by the member for Malvern in which he stated that the recent council elections in Oakley had been tainted by electoral deception on polling day. He claimed that six independent candidates were found after the election to have had election material printed by a prominent ALP figure.

Mr Bingle was a candidate in the election but was not named in the report. He argues that the speech suggested that he and the other independents were "... ALP stooges". Mr Bingle states that he contacted The Sun and submitted substantial material to it on this including details on his anti-ALP campaign. He stated the Victorian government would not "come clean on the route of the Sydney to Melbourne supertrain".

The newspaper did not publish Mr Bingle's news release because it was not judged newsworthy and a subsequent letter arrived too late for consideration. As The Sun article was merely a report of what had been stated in parliament, there is no suggestion that it was anything other than a fair report.

The complaint is dismissed.