A couple of near punch-ups at Canberra’s Holy Grail never happened but this is an interesting window on how the media, including Crikey, can get things wrong and how they move to remedy the situation.

For his next party trick…

Rear Window item on Sept 20

Trouble seems to follow new federal Liberal MP David Tollner. First he tried to vote in his own Darwin electorate of Solomon, only to discover he was enrolled in another seat. Then last December his licence was cancelled for six months for drink-driving. His latest misadventure was late on August 28 at Canberra watering-hole The Holy Grail, where he found himself in a vigorous dispute with Labor Senator Michael Forshaw.

One observer had a glass of wine knocked out of her hand, prompting Victorian Liberal Sophie Panopoulos to step in to break it up. After being evicted, Tollner and Panopoulos were let back in later, but it wasn’t long before they were in another near-brawl, this time with Labor enfant terrible Mark Latham.

ends

It took six days but the Fin Review finally ran this belated correction on September 26 at the bottom of a briefs column rather than in the Rear Window column where it should have been.

Senator Michael Forshaw

In the Rear Window column on Friday, September 20, The Australian Financial Review published an item which stated that NSW Labor Senator Michael Forshaw was involved in a scuffle at a Canberra nightclub.

The Australian Financial Review acknowledges that Senator Forshaw was not present at the nightclub on that occasion and was not involved in any scuffle. The AFR apologises to Senator Forshaw for the error.

Sophi’s letter to the Fin Review

AFR letters page Sept 25

It was only secret men’s business

I refer to an item in Rear Window “For his next party trick …” (AFR, September 20) in which your paper alleged that I had to intervene to break up a dispute between Senator Michael Foreshaw and David Tollner, Member for Solomon [at the Canberra watering hole, The Holy Grail].

Before printing this fiction your sources should have contacted me to ascertain the truth or otherwise of such an allegation.

To set the record straight, I have never intervened in any dispute or otherwise involving Tollner. Having the straight talking eloquence of a Territorian and being well over a foot taller than me and more than double my weight, I am confident Tollner can look after himself in any dispute.

For future reference, I am not in the habit of intervening in bar fights between men. That’s secret men’s business and they can have it.

Sophie Panopoulos br> Federal Member for Indi
Canberra, ACT.

Crikey’s follow up to Rear Window

Sealed section Sept 23

If even the Rear Window column of the august Fin Review is as it did last Friday reporting biffo, Canberra style, then Crikey can only follow the trend. Here is the full story about what happened with Dave Tollner, the troubled CLP MP for the Darwin based seat of Solomon, and “Iron Mark” Latham at Kingston’s Holy Grail bar.

Tollner was enjoying a drink at the Grail with, of all people, our friend the Uptown Girl, Sophie Panopolous, when he got into a spot of pushing and shoving with New South Wales Labor Senator Michael Forshaw that saw a drink belonging to the Member for Farrer, Sussan “I don’t read Crikey” Ley, knocked to the ground. Tollner was asked to leave, and the Uptown Girl went to check if he was OK.

They returned around half and hour later to a warning that they would both be out if there was any more trouble and then the reported altercation with Iron Mark occurred.

However, as Crikey’s friend Tim Shaw might say, that’s not all. Brawling doesn’t just take place off site. Take, for example, the recent single conduct over the hand of a fair maid that occurred in the middle of the Ministerial Wing between Michael Keenan, an adviser to the Incredible Bulk, and Ho staffer Paul Cormack.

Maintenance staff were had to be called in to fix a dent in a stairway wall caused when Cormack’s head hit it hard.

Another cracking Crikey correction

Sept 25 sealed section

A new political gang of four comprising Mark Latham, Dave Tollner, Michael Forshaw and Sophie Panopoulas all made personal explanations in Parliament yesterday saying that the Fin Review and Crikey reports of goings on at The Holy Grail are without foundation.

As good republicans, the Crikey team trusts what politicians say but we were very disappointed that the Fin Review failed to correct their Rear Window piece this morning. Give Lachlan Johnston a spray about this at Rearwindow@mail.fairfax.com.au.

Crikey loves a good correction and we will publish all the transcripts once they are on the web but we only had one direct communication from this new Gang of Four and happily run and endorse Senator Michael Forshaw’s email in full:

“I note that on your website today you repeated, and embellished, a story which appeared in the Australian Financial Review last Friday 20 September.

I made a statement in the Senate today indicating that this story is untrue. I was not present when this alleged incident occurred.

The claims made in the article, and repeated by you, are a reflection on my character.

I also note that you did not bother to check the accuracy of this story with me, but simply decided to repeat a false report in an effort to denigrate my reputation.

I await your written apology and complete retraction.

Senator Michael Forshaw

PS: I suggest you should title your retraction “Getting it wrong Stephen Mayne style!”

CRIKEY: For once, this was actually an item I didn’t write or research but as publisher you’ve got to wear it. Meanwhile, we look forward to hearing Iron Mark’s apology to the House for his unfair and inaccurate sledge on poor old Canberra spindoctor Andrew Parker, who he claimed writes the Hillary Bray column. I can categorically dismiss this claim and suggest Parker, who we have not heard from today, take up the opportunity of having a reply entered into the Hansard. We’ll run it if no-one else will. It’s just outrageous how these pollies make such scandalous mistakes. And no-one rang Parker or me to check if it was true!! We always check our facts before publishing so why can’t some of these pollies.

Andrew Parker says it again – I am not Hillary Bray

Sept 27 sealed section

John Hewson’s former press secretary Andrew Parker runs a PR consultancy in Canberra called Parker and Partners. He was named in Federal Parliament by Iron Mike Latham earlier this week as being the author of Crikey’s Hillary Bray column. We have categorically denied this and now Parker himself interrupted a business trip to the US and sent through the following:

“Stephen,

Thank you for response to what Mark Latham said in the House about me allegedly being Hillary Bray. I appreciate the correction.

For the record, repeating the very words of the publisher, I, Andrew Parker, am not Hillary Bray and never have been. I have just called Mark Latham – from the northern hemisphere where I am working this week – to say as much.

Having left a message, I figure it easiest to reply directly to Crikey. I’ll also email Mark to request he make a correction.

Labelling me – or the dozen or so others consistently named as Hillary is the easiest hit and run of all. No proof, no evidence – just brand ’em as Ms Bray and drive on. Mark did not call me before using Coward’s Castle to say what he said. So as plainly as I can, Mark and dear crikey readers, you’ll need to move on to your next target in the search for the Holy Grail (no pun intended), because as the publisher says, as I say and the lack of any evidence says – I am not Hillary Bray.

Andrew Parker

ends

What the new gang of four said in Parliament

Finally, this is what the new Gang of Four said in Parliament last Tuesday vehemently rejecting any suggestion of a disagreement at the Holy Grail.

Sealed section Sept 26

A lengthy extract from Hansard which we’ve saved for last but will have our administration staff in a tizz trying to hand out the free subs under the “subs for mentions” scam:

Senator FORSHAW – In an article in the Australian Financial Review last Friday a serious misrepresentation was made regarding me. The article appeared in a column entitled ‘Rear Window’ which is edited by Jane Boyle. I wish to quote briefly from the article to explain the misrepresentation and the un-truth that has occurred.

It is entitled ‘For his next party trick …’ and in part it reads as follows: ‘Trouble seems to follow new federal Liberal MP David Tollner.’

I will leave out the next couple of sentences. Then it says: ‘His latest adventure was at the Canberra watering-hole The Holy Grail, where he found himself in dispute with Labor Senator Michael Forshaw. One observer had a glass of wine knocked out of their hand, prompting’ – and then another Member of Parliament is named – ‘to step in to break it up. Things didn’t get any better after that and it wasn’t long before there was another near-brawl, this time with’ – and then it mentions another Member of Parliament. The concluding sentence reads: ‘The member for Solomon was reluctant to comment to our operative about the events of the said night’.

This article has been picked up on the crikey.com site and repeated but with some embellishments. Firstly, the caption reads: ‘Biffo, Canberra style’ and I quote it in part: ‘If even the Rear Window column of the august Fin Review is – as it did last Friday – reporting biffo, Canberra style, then Crikey can only follow the trend. Here is the full story about what happened with Dave Tollner’ – then it mentions another Member of Parliament, not me. It continues: ‘Tollner was enjoying a drink at the Grail with, of all people’ – and it mentions another MP-

Senator Conroy-Name, names-come on!

Senator FORSHAW – I do not intend to name names. I do not want to be repeating an allegation which may or may not be true about other members of parliament. It is certainly not true about me. I will read that again: ‘Tollner was enjoying a drink at the Grail … when he got into a spot of pushing and shoving with New South Wales Labor Senator Michael Forshaw that saw a drink belonging to the Member for’ – and then it mentions another member of parliament.

This is totally untrue as far as it involves me. I do not know when this incident is alleged to have occurred, but I was not there. I can make it very clear that I have not been to The Holy Grail bar for quite a long time. I certainly was not there on the night that this alleged incident occurred and I certainly was not involved. It is grossly untrue. This was drawn to my attention by a business colleague of mine last Saturday when my wife and I were attending a community function with the Premier of New South Wales. I have to say I was rather astounded to be told that there had been an article in the paper alleging that I had been involved in some fight at a tavern here in Canberra.

Senator Faulkner – I did not think for one minute that it would be you.

Senator FORSHAW – Definitely! I conclude by saying the article said: ‘The member for Solomon was reluctant to comment to our operative about the events of the said night’. At no stage did the editor Jane Boyle or anyone else contact me to try to verify the story before it was printed. I must say that since then I have had a number of people raise the issue with me and also inquiries from the media. I was not involved; it did not occur.

Iron Mark’s Latham’s denial

Mr LATHAM (Werriwa) (3.23 p.m.) – Mr Speaker, I seek to make a personal explanation on a couple of matters.

The SPEAKER-Does the member for Werriwa claim to have been misrepresented?

Mr LATHAM – Horrendously so.

The SPEAKER – The member for Werriwa may proceed.

Mr LATHAM – On 29 August, I received the following email from Andrew Bolt, correspondent for the Herald Sun: “I was thinking of writing up a very funny confrontation I had with Steven Roach last night. Could you ask Mark whether he encouraged Roach to go over to me, and how is he connected to him? This would make for a fun little item.”

In fact, there was no connection between Mr Roach and me; there was no attempt by me to urge Mr Roach onto Mr Bolt. But this did not stop Mr Bolt from writing the opposite in the Herald Sun on 2 September, saying that I had egged on Roach to attack him and that Bolt was going to apologise to Geoff Clark for my behaviour. Steve Roach put out a press release making these points on 2 September. This is not journalism, it is paranoia.

The second matter relates to my friend opposite the member for Solomon, because it was reported in the Financial Review on 20 September that he had been involved in a whole series of disputes at the Holy Grail, having a very active night-perhaps learning from the member for Sturt. Then towards the end of the evening, it is reported here, there was an-other near brawl, this time with Labor enfant terrible, Mark Latham.

The SPEAKER – The member for Werriwa will come to his point of personal explanation.

Mr Abbott interjecting-

Mr LATHAM – I went to a government school, Tony. I am sorry. I am not adverse to a bit of muscling up, but there was no confrontation. In fact, there was an amiable beer and a couple of jokes with the member for Solomon, who was quite complimentary in some of the things he had to say. There was no such incident. I would also correct the same mistake and misrepresentation that was made in Andrew Parker’s column in something called crikey.com, a few days after the Financial Review report.

Sophie clears her name

Ms PANOPOULOS (Indi) (3.26 p.m.) – Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

The SPEAKER – Does the member for Indi claim to have been misrepresented?

Ms PANOPOULOS – Yes.

The SPEAKER – Please proceed.

Ms PANOPOULOS – It was alleged in last Friday’s Financial Review and in one of the crikey.com columns that I intervened to break up a dispute between the member for Solomon and Senator Michael Forshaw. This is utterly incorrect. I have never observed the member for Solomon conversing with Senator Forshaw, let alone having a dispute with him. Prior to the publication of this fiction, I was not even extended the courtesy of a phone call from any of the relevant journalists to confirm or otherwise the veracity of the story they were intending to publish.

And finally, Tollner makes it four denials

Mr TOLLNER (Solomon) (3.28 p.m.) – Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

The SPEAKER-Does the member for Solomon claim to be misrepresented?

Mr TOLLNER – Most certainly.

The SPEAKER – The member for Solomon may proceed.

Mr TOLLNER – I refer to the same articles that the members for Werriwa and Indi referred to in the Australian Financial Review and crikey.com, which alleged incidents between me and Senator Forshaw and also between me and my friend the member for Werriwa. I would like to advise that those incidents never occurred. I spoke to Senator Forshaw last night for the first time in my life, and he advised me that it has been several years since he has been to the Holy Grail.