A permanent injunction has been granted in a landmark case which has implications for the future of public interest reporting in Australia.
The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia delivered its judgement on Wednesday, 13 August, in the Game Meats Company v. Farm Transparency Project case, choosing to allow an appeal which would permanently restrain Farm Transparency Project from publishing footage obtained using covert cameras, installed at the Eurobin Game Meats Company Slaughterhouse last year.
The 14-minute compilation video, which depicted the slaughter of goats at the facility purportedly revealed numerous and daily breaches of animal welfare, was ordered to be destroyed within the week.
The court upheld the Game Meats Company's argument it should be granted copyright over the footage which was illegally obtained, setting a new legal precedent affecting footage obtained of commercial activities on private land.
A permanent injunction was initially rejected by the Federal Court, leading to this appeal launched by the slaughterhouse.
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Farm Transparency Project's directors, Chris Delforce and Harley McDonald-Eckersall, who both gave evidence in the original trial as to their role in capturing the footage, say their team have serious concerns about what this judgment will mean for the future of transparency in Australia.
The full judgment of the original case is available at: https://www.comcourts.gov.au/file/Federal/P/VID417/2024/actions
