Channel Seven paid Bruce Lehrmann’s fortnightly rent of $4,000 for a period in June for exclusive access to the former Liberal staffer, according to documents uploaded by the federal court.
Seven agreed in a separate exclusivity document, which was also uploaded on Tuesday, to pay Lehrmann’s rent for 12 months in return for exclusive access to him from mid-2023 to mid-2024.
An invoice uploaded online on Tuesday shows fortnightly rent of $4,000 for a period in June. While the invoice appears to be for a single rental period of a fortnight, if Lehrmann’s rent remained at $4,000 for the 12 months, he will receive a total benefit worth $104,000.
The documents were uploaded as part of the defamation case Lehrmann has taken against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.
Lehrmann has denied allegations that he raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in Canberra. His criminal trial was abandoned due to juror misconduct. A second trial did not proceed.
While giving evidence at the defamation trial, Lehrmann agreed under cross-examination that Seven has agreed to pay his rent for 12 months from June 2023 to June 2024 in return for two exclusive interviews on the Spotlight program.
“Network Seven organised the accommodation,” Lehrmann told the court last month.
According to the rental invoice, dated 7 June 2023, from L’Abode Accommodation Specialist, the period of accommodation provided appears to be between 13 April 2023 and 12 April 2024.
The exclusivity contract with Seven also specifies the agreement is for one year.
“In consideration of the interviewee complying in full with the terms and warranties of this agreement and for the contribution of his time, Seven will provide the interviewee 12 months accommodation at a residence to be agreed by Seven and the interviewee,” the contract said. “The residence may be used by Seven to arrange and film any parts of the Seven exclusive.”
The court heard that under the agreement with Seven the network would have access to relevant documents as well as an exclusive interview.
Lehrmann said the agreement did specify that but he did not give them anything except the interviews.
The revelation at the trial that the Seven interview was the result of an agreement that provided Lehrmann with 12 months’ accommodation has led the Walkley awards board to review its rules on “chequebook journalism”.
Seven’s Lehrmann interview was nominated for the 2023 scoop of the year award, but it did not win.
The Walkleys have not reversed or retrospectively invalidated the nomination.
Seven has claimed its entry had “fully met the entry criteria” for the award.
In May, in answer to a question about payment for the interview, the Seven Network told Guardian Australia: “7NEWS Spotlight made no payment to Bruce Lehrmann for the interview, however the program assisted with accommodation as part of the filming of the report.”
In a statement last week, Seven said: “We said at the time we were assisting Bruce Lehrmann with his accommodation costs. It was well reported back then.
“The 7NEWS Spotlight report was rightfully judged by the esteemed Walkley Foundation as one of the top three scoops of 2023.”
On Sunday evening, Seven added a new statement after the Walkleys review: “7NEWS Spotlight adhered to the Walkley Foundation’s guidelines as part of the nomination process and, in disclosing its arrangement with Bruce Lehrmann, fully met the entry criteria. We welcome the Walkleys’ findings after its exhaustive ‘review’ confirming this.”
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