Steve Cannane
Stephen Cannane | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Head of ABC's Europe bureau, former host of The Drum, reporter for Lateline and Triple J |
Stephen Paul Cannane (born 1970) is a journalist specializing in news and current affairs, currently serving with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He holds the position of head of ABC's Europe bureau, operating out of London. Throughout his career at ABC, Cannane has fulfilled roles including Europe correspondent, reporter within the Investigations unit, host of The Drum, and reporter for Lateline.
Politics
Cannane is the grandson of Pat Hills, who formerly held the offices of Lord Mayor of Sydney and Deputy Premier of New South Wales. At age 22, he stood as the Australian Labor Party candidate for Warringah during the 1993 Australian federal election. He garnered over one-third of the votes and achieved a positive swing exceeding 5% towards the ALP but was ultimately defeated by the sitting Liberal member, Michael MacKellar, who resigned the following year. The ensuing 1994 Warringah by-election was won by Tony Abbott. Reflecting in 2008, Cannane remarked that although he valued his experience as a candidate, he lacked genuine political aspirations and had moved beyond that phase.
Media career
Cannane’s entry into radio began with handling calls on ABC Local Radio's Nightlife, hosted by Tony Delroy. After penning an article criticizing ABC’s shortage of youth-oriented on-air roles, he was subsequently recruited to youth station Triple J.
He commenced as a reporter for Triple J's current affairs show The Morning Show, advancing to host in 2003. His journalistic work frequently targeted exposing unethical conduct, including investigations into child abuse allegations within the Church of Scientology, harassment tactics employed by anti-vaccination advocates, and shortcomings by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in safeguarding consumers.
Cannane briefly hosted breakfast programming on ABC Radio National and was the inaugural presenter for Triple J's current affairs program Hack launched in 2004.
In 2005, he faced unfounded accusations of antisemitism from senator Santo Santoro concerning a Hack interview; following a transcript review confirming no such statements were made, Santoro issued an apology.
He earned the 2006 Walkley Award for Broadcast Interviewing for his interviews covering topics such as Petrol Sniffing, Pilltesting, and The Cost of War, having also received commendation in 2005. Additionally, Cannane was honored with the Excellence in Alcohol and Drug Media Reporting Award at the 2006 National Drug and Alcohol Awards and represented Australia in the US Department of State’s Edward R Murrow journalism exchange program.
In 2008, Cannane presented The Hack Half Hour on ABC2. The subsequent year saw him hosting ABC1’s documentary series Whatever! The Science of Teenagers alongside publishing First Tests: Great Australian Cricketers and the Backyards That Made Them.
July 2010 marked Cannane’s appointment as presenter for ABC News 24's panel show The Drum. That same month, he uncovered harassment by the anti-vaccination group Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) directed at parents mourning a child’s death from whooping cough. His investigation exposed AVN President Meryl Dorey’s attempts to obtain medical records and brought to light complaints upheld by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, though these rulings were later reversed through legal proceedings.
Continuing his reporting on AVN activities via The Drum, Cannane covered events including Meryl Dorey’s participation at the Woodford Folk Festival.
In November 2010, Australian Skeptics acknowledged him for his integrity in journalism and featured him as a speaker at their national conference.
His roles have included reporter and substitute presenter on ABC1's Lateline, hosting The Drum on ABC News 24, as well as appearances on Ten's The 7pm Project.
Between April 2016 and July 2018, Cannane was stationed in London as ABC’s Europe Correspondent before moving to the Investigations Unit. In May 2021, he was promoted to lead ABC’s Europe bureau.
Defamation case
In September 2016, Cannane released Fair Game: The Incredible Untold Story of Scientology in Australia, which led to a defamation lawsuit filed by doctors John Gill and John Herron—figures linked to the Chelmsford deep sleep scandal—against both Cannane and HarperCollins.
The book made reference to the findings of the Chelmsford Royal Commission, which revealed misconduct at Chelmsford Private Hospital. In 2018, HarperCollins attempted to have the case dismissed, contending that it was unreasonable to require Cannane to substantiate the conclusions of the Royal Commission.
Following an eight-week trial conducted entirely through Microsoft Teams due to the pandemic, the court dismissed the lawsuit in late 2020. Justice Jayne Jagot ruled in favor of Cannane and HarperCollins, ordering Gill and Herron to cover legal costs. Jagot remarked that Herron "had no residual reputation to be protected" and that Gill was "held in very low estimation" prior to the publication of the book. She further accused them of attempting to "rewrite history" and found that Cannane had successfully established a defence based on qualified privilege.
Gill and Herron lodged an appeal in August 2021, disputing the use of 26-year-old Royal Commission reports authored by now-deceased experts and challenging the validity of the qualified privilege defence. In 2022, the Federal Court unanimously determined that qualified privilege did not apply, overturning Justice Jagot’s ruling and ordering a new trial. The court criticized reliance on expert reports that had not been subject to cross examination and noted that these documents lacked transparency regarding their factual foundation and reasoning. Additionally, the judges deemed Cannane’s decision not to include Gill and Herron's perspectives unreasonable.
Subsequently, Cannane and HarperCollins appealed to the High Court of Australia, which heard arguments on 17 February 2023. The High Court rejected their appeal, affirming the Federal Court’s conclusions. As a result, in the forthcoming retrial, neither Cannane nor HarperCollins will be permitted to invoke qualified privilege or rely on Royal Commission reports as defences against defamation claims brought by Gill and Herron.