Hardie Grant defamation policy not renewed; insurer cites Turnbull memoir

Hardie Grant’s insurer, Chubb, cited Malcolm Turnbull’s forthcoming memoir as a factor that influenced its decision not to renew the publisher’s existing defamation cover, reports the Age.

Hardie Grant CEO Sandy Grant said the fact Chubb ‘even raised questions about [upcoming titles] when they haven’t seen it says a lot about defamation in Australia today’. ‘It’s as if they’re pre-empting the possibility of litigation even before they’ve read any of it, and that’s extraordinary … there have been five prime ministerial memoirs in my career and none of them have attracted litigation,’ said Grant.

Grant said Chubb also expressed concerns over some of the publisher’s existing titles, including Clive Hamilton’s Silent Invasion, which the insurer wants to carve out from any future policy.

On 19 June Hardie Grant announced the publication date for Turnbull’s memoir, titled A Bigger Picture, had been pushed back from September this year to early 2020.

Category: Local news