Christine Spiteri update

Spiteri ramps up action against Nine, at the Sydney Morning Herald.

 

Former Nine Network reporter Christine Spiteri is to add an unlawful discrimination complaint to her Federal Court action against the broadcaster.

Ms Spiteri, 40, is already seeking damages of more than $500,000 in relation to breach of contract and Trade Practices Act claims.

Nine's application to have the case thrown out has been listed for hearing before Justice Richard Edmonds next Friday.

The case was mentioned briefly in the Federal Court in Sydney today, when Ms Spiteri's lawyer John Laxon said the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission had terminated her complaint of unlawful discrimination.

He said she now wished to consolidate the unlawful discrimination claim into the Federal Court action, telling the judge both matters had the same "factual matrix".

Mr Laxon asked for an adjournment of next Friday's hearing on the basis that when the discrimination claim was added to the case, Nine also was likely to ask to have that thrown out.

"My client only has limited resources and is up against a major organisation ..." he said.

He said given the claims were based on the same facts, it would be appropriate for just one strike-out application to be heard.

But Justice Edmonds said he was not prepared to grant an adjournment, confirming next Friday's hearing.

In her statement of claim, Ms Spiteri alleged Nine's news director John Westacott told her: "You should work for SBS, you certainly have the name for it."

She also alleged Mr Westacott told female journalists: "To make it in this industry, you gotta have fability. To make it in this game, women have to be fable."

AAP