Media
CONFLICTED: Roger Corbett cannot be both accuser and accused
The Age newspaper’s parent company Fairfax has appointed Roger Corbett as its chairman. Corbett (pictured right) is a great Australian businessman and was clearly a vastly superior choice to John B Fairfax or the friendly nominee he had in mind to run the board for him.
But Fairfax’s new Chairman is also on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
THE AGE UP TO ITS OLD TRICKS
The Age has repeatedly campaigned this year against one of Australia’s great technology export success stories, Securency. It’s the company jointly owned by the Reserve Bank and Innovia Films that produces the components that make up polymer bank notes.
Australia’s polymer bank note technology is not just world-class, it’s the world’s best and it has been very slowly but surely winning acceptance across the world’s central banks.
The two young members of the Age’s three-man Investigative Unit, Rick Baker (pictured extreme left) and Nick McKenzie, have accused Securency and the two large organisations behind it of acting corruptly. At first read, the story seemed fantastic. And a good get. Almost too good to be true.
And indeed a preliminary VEXNEWS investigation has established that there is very little to support these sensational and malicious front-page claims of wrongdoing and that The Age is highly likely to face legal action over the false allegations.
Age insiders have told VEXNEWS they are concerned about the fact that “no-one else has picked up the story. It’s a worry. I didn’t know what to make of it. It all hangs on the AFP (Australian Federal Police) I think.” Securency has asked the AFP to inquire into the Age’s claims, suggesting they have little to hide. For nearly six months, the status of the AFP’s interest has been that it was “inquiring” into the newspaper reports. VEXNEWS understands there is no official Police investigation and there isn’t likely to be because there is so little evidence to support The Age’s sensational claims.
WALKLEYS FOR ALL
We understand that their series on Securency might be nominated for the journalist union’s prestigious Walkley Award, VEXNEWS has learned that McKenzie and Baker submitted their series on Securency for consideration for a Walkley but it did not make the list of finalists.
Given the nature of the Age’s attack on the Bank and Securency, and the looming prospect of defamation proceedings, it seems likely that a real conflict of interests already occurs for Fairfax’s new chairman who sits on the board of the Reserve Bank.
In coming days, VEXNEWS will explore the detail of The Age’s reports on the Bank and Securency. You will be shocked at just how erroneous, ham-fisted, amateurish, malicious and contrary to Australia’s national interest The Age’s campaign has been. In years of reporting on their excesses, this vicious attack on one of Victoria’s great export successes could well be the most egregious.
Roger Corbett’s position on the Reserve Bank board is not tenable. The central bank of Australia cannot have its principal accuser on its own board. Equally Corbett cannot be in the position of being both accuser and accused. Even before the writs are served, the conflict of interest is clear. It’s an unacceptable conflict of interest between his public duties and his chairmanship of the private company. He should do the decent thing and resign from the Reserve Bank now.
Discussion
20 comments for “CONFLICTED: Roger Corbett cannot be both accuser and accused”
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Or alternatively, resign from his brand new appointment as Chair of Fairfax. Doesn’t worry me which. His choice, but the old Bible saying holds true here:- “No man can serve two masters”.
Cheers, Observer.
Nice hit! Three birds with one stone.
Dis Kwin am ritin to you as she am de widowe number one wife of de former Hed of Stet, Colonel Alhaji Pasdeloot (escaped). You kinly send you bonk acount detail an she am lettin you kip all dat small small change so you ken buy de newspepper for de rappin of de fish and de ships.
This sounds very promising but might backfire if it’s another AWB
Walkleys in Sydney this year.
Will there be a caged re-match between Mayne and Milne?
please use the word ‘runt’ more
Mayne looked very pale and unwell on 4 Corners Monday night banging on about the Packers. Looked like he was envious of their wealth than anything else.
How does Corbett hunt with the hounds and run with the fox? I would love to know where he thinks his loyalties lie when he reads this stuff over his breakfast offal. The Age stories are bizarre and sensational but to have a main board director sitting in both camps is just unbelievable. Corby’s position on both boards is highly irregular and therefore untenable. It will be interesting to see which one Corby relinquishes next week. By the way, when does a respectable broadsheet become a tabloid comic? When it behaves just like this. Keep it up the Age – I am sure your advertisers just love you knocking a great Oz export!
When will The Age comprehend the people they accuse do not supply the products to which they refer. One could be excused for drawing the conclusion all is based on pernicious third party undertones with a hidden agenda. The the perpetrators of this malicious campaign are obviously a-religious or have temporarlily forgotten their texts – “those who live by the sword shall die by the sword”
Just what are these guys on?
Is Corbett’s appointment a sick joke?
What a grand display of hypocracy! How can he square off these two appointments?
I can recommend some face powder to spare his blushes on pay day.
No comment is succinter,
Than a trembling in the sphincter…
Rick Baker is cute.
Andy – they didn’t get shortlisted for a Walkley with this story but did with an even weaker one. Looking at the other entries, there’s no point their turning up on the 26th November. So what happened here? They must have consumed half a year on this each, produced ever more loopy stuff which the rest of the media won’t touch, they submitted it along with another for safety because they knew it was crap. It didn’t get past the panel who have they’ve saved their faces by shortlisting the other one. Your item confirmed the panel’s decision and they will be grateful to you for vindicating their doubts. I was only vaguely aware of this string of stories before I saw your item and ignored my computer’s protests to read through the entire thing on their website. It is truly dire. As you say, they start well and then the last 15 stories are identical. The last 3 or 4 consist of them quoting the Nigerian media quoting….The Age! This is an odd love-in given the crude racism of their overall approach. So your further probing is awaited as surely it can’t take too much now to get these two jokers put back to writing ‘Man Bites Dog in Ballarat’ fillers for page 6, their natural milieu and habitat. By contrast I see that harmless old Royce Millar has finally learned the lesson that’less is more’ and is turning up the occasional nicely-honed fossil. It’s good to see him doing better than the upstarts.
Unrelated to this thread, but may I ask, precisely what is Bruce Esplin (Emergency Services Commissioner) responsible for?
I was watching him give evidence to the Royal Commission when it struck me that he has no accountabilities -whatsoever.
The Commissioner who is accountable for nothing!
I have lost my favourite special ewe, the one that really pushes back and is OK with her rear legs in my gum boots – please help me find her there is a large reward her name is Heidi Victoria – BAAAAA!
Excuse me for being picky!
I was lead to believe Investigative Journalism required a modicum of substantiated evidence for credibility.
This tirade of unfounded allegations – for that is what these Reports are – contain not a shred of evidence but are replete in factual errors and terminological inexactitudes.
Forgive me, but The Age will be telling us next we won the Ashes!
Somebody should tell these two gherkins to get back in the vinegar!
Saints preserve us!
So you think Rick Baker is cute!
We can recommend SpecSavers for corrective vision work but suggest you avoid their rose-tinted options.
Are you a gay person (in the frolicsome sense, of course). You write so cheerfully!
Love
Aren’t all journalists supposed to be investigators, especially those with soft degrees in the ‘discipline’ from RMIT? Otherwise we might think that all they do is peddle whatever shite is fed to them. And that would never do…. The Sunday Age should be used as a sin bin for disgraced reporters from its big sister, but are there enough chairs for the new arrivals?
Not oft said E l Addio; Bravo! Does shite smell too?
Sorry if it failed examination. Please change to “Not off said El Addio; Bravo! Does rubbish smell too?