Kate Chaney accuses Seven West Media of smear campaign (3 Apr 2025)
Article summary: Independent MP for Curtin, Kate Chaney, has strongly criticised Seven West Media, accusing the company of conducting a “smear campaign” against her amid her re-election campaign. In a public statement issued on Wednesday, Chaney claimed the Kerry Stokes-chaired media group—dominant in Western Australia's media market—was seeking to reassert lost political influence through biased reporting.
“Australia’s political landscape is shifting and the vested interests who’ve benefited from the old system are pushing back,” she said. “The more they feel their influence slipping, the harder they’ll fight – pulling every lever they can to protect their position. We’re seeing this play out right now. Seven West Media isn’t just reporting on the election, it’s running a campaign. Its agenda is obvious, and no one in WA is under any illusion about whose interests it serves.”
Chaney argued that her experience echoed that of other Independent MPs, who she said were drawing fire for not being aligned with traditional political parties or corporate donors. “Across the country, Independent MPs are standing up for their communities, not party machines or corporate backers – and that makes some very powerful people nervous,” she said. “But the people of Curtin are smart. They can see through a smear campaign and know who’s really fighting for them.”
Her comments follow a series of negative media pieces and public criticism from figures linked to Seven West Media. Most recently, a video by SWM journalist Ben Harvey accused teal independents of political hypocrisy and criticised Chaney’s ties to Climate 200 and her family background, including her father Michael Chaney, former chairman of Woodside.
Harvey said, “The teals like all politicians are a little bit full of shit, but they’re actually worse because they act so pious like they’re above politics,” and added, “If you vote for a teal candidate without knowing whether, when push comes to shove, whether they’ll go with him [Anthony Albanese] or him [Peter Dutton] you’re a f---ing idiot who doesn’t deserve to be part of democracy.”
Chaney has faced pressure over her positions on key issues such as Woodside’s North West Shelf extension and the Labor Government’s planned 2028 ban on live sheep exports. Responding to criticism, she said, “I voted in support of WA farmers to keep the sheep and nothing has changed.” On gas developments, she stated, “We need gas for our energy transition, but any new projects need to stack up financially and environmentally, especially if they would result in 50 years’ of emissions.”
Despite previous restraint, Chaney's campaign team decided to speak out following the escalation of media attacks, which included front-page coverage and commentary suggesting she was indifferent to retaining her seat. WAtoday reported that the final catalyst was Harvey’s video.
Chris Dore, editor of The West Australian, dismissed Chaney’s allegations as “nonsense”. When asked to elaborate, he responded, “Sure. Absolute nonsense.”
Curtin is currently held by a slim 1.3% margin, making it a key target for the Liberal Party, which is backing former Uber executive Tom White in an attempt to reclaim the traditionally safe seat.
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