SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Alan Jones sued over Qld flood claims

Businessman Denis Wagner is suing radio broadcaster Alan Jones for defamation over claims he made against him on air regarding the 2011 Grantham flood.

Radio presenter Alan Jones.
Alan Jones is being sued for defamation over claims he made regarding the 2011 Grantham flood. (AAP)

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Radio broadcaster Alan Jones is being sued for defamation over claims he made against a prominent Queensland businessman and his family over their involvement in the deadly 2011 Grantham flood.

Denis Wagner lodged defamation proceedings against Mr Jones and 2GB's licensee Harbour Radio Pty Ltd in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Mr Wagner says he and his family had endured sustained attacks for years from Mr Jones, particularly over false claims that his family was responsible for devastating flooding that claimed 12 lives in the southeast Queensland in January 2011.

He said his family and its company Wagners were also unfairly targeted during the construction and operation of its Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba.

"The outcome of proceedings will hopefully in some way go toward correcting the false and defamatory statements about the 2011 Grantham flood tragedy and the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport that have caused significant damage to the reputation of our family, the operation of the airport and our wider business interests," Mr Wagner said in a statement.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The Grantham Floods Commission of Inquiry's final report handed down earlier this month found a quarry owned by Wagners during the flood did not contribute to the disaster, despite Mr Jones and some residents claiming otherwise.

When handing down his report, Commissioner Walter Sofronoff said he felt Mr Wagner was "viciously blamed by some elements of the media".

Mr Sofronoff described the disaster as an "act of God" that couldn't have been avoided.

Comment is being sought from Mr Jones.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world