EXCLUSIVE
Seven’s main rivals have been dragged into the lurid “sex plague” scandal surrounding their sacked star crime reporter, as fresh allegations of his alleged “inappropriate conduct” continue to emerge.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal the broadcaster has been in contact with women from both Nine and the ABC regarding complaints about their past interactions with Walkley Award-winning journalist Robert Ovadia.
Their concerns are understood to relate to conversations they allegedly had with Ovadia while covering news events in Sydney.
“This is no longer just a Channel Seven issue,” a source familiar with the case told Daily Mail Australia. “It is now (allegedly) an industry-wide issue.”
It is not known whether any of the women complained about the interactions at the time or raised their concerns with senior staff at their own networks.
Ovadia has repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct on his part during his award-winning 23-year career at Seven.
This comes as sources revealed that Seven has uncovered a series of allegedly damning historical comments in texts and emails made by its former reporter during his time at the network.
Seven has sacked its former star crime reporter Robert Ovadia following an investigation in June.
The scandal surrounding Seven’s former star reporter had now spread to rival networks.
The messages were uncovered through an exhaustive internal audit of all the veteran journalist’s previous work communications following his shock firing in June.
According to sources close to the investigation, the married man, 51, allegedly made a series of “inappropriate comments” in his correspondence about his young female co-workers.
The exchanges are known to have taken place several years ago and no concerns have been raised about the conversation until now.
His lawyer, John Laxon, told Daily Mail Australia they were unaware of the latest allegation as Seven had repeatedly refused to provide them with details of its claims against the embattled journalist.
“I’m appalled that Seven is making these allegations and it shouldn’t be,” Laxon said.
The shock developments come after Daily Mail Australia revealed last week that Seven was determined to “draw a line in the sand” and take on Ovadia in court after he launched unlawful dismissal action against the broadcaster.
Seven had initially been open to a conciliatory resolution with its former staffer but changed its mind after a months-long internal audit revealed what it will claim are repeated instances of inappropriate conduct during his time at the network.
At least one woman from competitor Nine has allegedly filed complaints against Ovadia
Ovadia was sacked by Seven on 21 June following an internal investigation into his conduct, prompted by inquiries into the ABC’s flagship show Four Corners.
The show’s investigative journalist Louise Milligan asked Seven about a series of email and text exchanges between the crime reporter and a young female producer.
The messages allegedly included cartoon images depicting the junior employee as a pole dancer, Ovadia as a chiseled Spartan warrior and the Norse god Thor wielding a hammer.
Questions were also raised about an “inappropriate” image Ovadia allegedly sent to a male colleague, of a flaccid penis she had downloaded from the internet.
The interaction came after the male colleague asked for an image of a man named ‘Dick’ for an upcoming story.
Ovadia launched legal action against Seven on 9 August, claiming the broadcaster had breached the terms of his contract and had no grounds to dismiss him.
He also claimed that the network’s newly appointed news chief, Anthony De Ceglie, deliberately made statements “calculated to demean, offend and hurt” him.
Seven defends both accusations.
Ovadia accused of sending inappropriate cartoon images to a young producer
Their text and email exchanges also allegedly included images of him as a Spartan warrior.
Seven’s lawyer Vanja Bulut told the Federal Court on Thursday that 13 more women had made complaints about Ovadia since he was fired.
“Following the plaintiff’s dismissal, 13 additional women came forward. The plaintiff has been informed of this,” Bulut told Judge Elizabeth Raper.
‘My client has written outlining the additional allegations that have come to light. Those documents have been served on the plaintiff.
‘Even if they (Seven) did not have a basis for primarily terminating applicant’s employment at the time, the conduct that subsequently came to light does provide a basis.’
Ovadia’s lawyer, Andrew Gotting, said that while his client had received some of the material, many of the details had been redacted.
It is understood Seven made the extensive redactions to protect the privacy of the complainants.
The legal drama unfolded after the Fair Work Commission failed to resolve the dispute through mediation six weeks earlier in July.
Their attempt to resolve the matter during a video conference between the opposing parties quickly failed and Seven refused to participate in further sessions.
Ovadia has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct on its part.
Ovadia, who did not attend the preliminary hearing, said the allegations against him were part of a plot to “intimidate” him into dropping his case against his former television employer.
“The claims are unsubstantiated and Seven has never provided evidence despite repeated requests,” he said last Thursday.
“Even today in court there is no evidence to support any of this; just a dirty tactic to try to intimidate me and prevent me from defending myself.”
The television industry has long been dogged by accusations that the careers of its female employees are often defined by the opinions of their senior male colleagues about their appearance, rather than being judged on their professional merits.
Nine’s former head of news and current affairs, John Westacott, was accused of saying female journalists had to be “fuckable” during an unfair dismissal action brought against the network in 2008 by journalist Christin Spiteri.
“To make it in this industry, you have to be fuckable. To make it in this game, women have to be fuckable,” the late Nine News boss reportedly said.
Australia’s major broadcasters are reviewing the culture of their newsrooms
The growing scandal came after the industry was rocked by a series of serious complaints about harassment, bullying and a horrendous workplace culture.
Nine Network chief Mike Sneesby announced an independent review of the culture of his newsroom in May.
Although Nine was initially expected to report its findings next month, it now seems certain the investigation will continue into next year.
The delay is understood to follow an unexpected spate of harassment and bullying complaints from past and present Nine employees about some of the network’s senior managers.
The ABC is also reviewing its newsroom culture after an internal survey in June found widespread allegations of bullying and sexual harassment within the national broadcaster.
Meanwhile, last week, ten reached a private settlement with former political reporter Tegan George, who claimed she suffered severe trauma after covering the deadly 2019-20 New South Wales bushfires.
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