The Supreme Court in Cairns has been asked to overturn a suppression order that prevents the identification of a high-profile Queensland man involved in an extortion case. The order, made by Acting Magistrate Gelma Meoli in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday, suppresses the identities of all parties, including the high-profile man who is neither a witness nor a direct target of the extortion.
Lawyers for four media outlets, including the ABC, have sought a judicial review of the order. The application went before Justice James Henry on Wednesday morning in a closed court for a directions hearing. The judicial review has been adjourned to July 31 at the Supreme Court in Cairns, where it will begin in a closed court with submissions on whether it should remain closed.
The Magistrates Court heard that a man charged with extortion, who cannot be named, threatened to reveal information about his former partner and a married Queensland public figure. Police also requested the court prohibit publication of details of the threat. The Magistrates Court declined to provide a copy of the non-publication order, citing that its content was suppressed.
In making the order, Magistrate Meoli acknowledged the married man has a high public profile but stated the order was not made due to that profile or potential reputational harm. She said, 'The threat of exposing the married man goes to the very heart of the threat... Not suppressing the married man's name then offers the complainant no protection and enables the respondent to achieve publicly, the very nature of the charge of extortion.' It has not been alleged the married man had any knowledge of the extortion.
The accused man is next due to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on July 28. His barrister, Brydie Bilic, previously opposed the high-profile man's name being included in the suppression order during the magistrates court proceedings.
