Nine Entertainment is considering legal action against Bob Katter after the independent MP called Nine’s Queensland reporter Josh Bavas a racist and threatened to punch him at a press conference.
The Brisbane outburst came after Katter expressed support for anti-immigration March for Australia protests planned for the weekend. Bavas asked: “You’ve got Lebanese heritage yourself … ” before Katter cut him off.
The member for Kennedy walked up to the Channel Nine reporter and shook his fist at him.
“Don’t say that, because you’re a racist. You’re a racist. You cannot say what you just said without being identified as a racist … this man is a racist,” Katter said. The exchange was filmed.
Nine executives were discussing taking defamation action against Katter, sources said. The company has demanded an apology from Katter.
Bavas was criticised online by people who appeared to agree with Katter and called on the reporter to apologise because “he was the one doing the baiting”.
Katter said on Thursday that Bavas was not “a proper Australian, a fair-minded Australian”.
“I punch blokes in the mouth for saying that, don’t you dare say that,” Katter told the reporter.
“My family have been in this country for 140 years. I have, on many occasions, punched blokes in the mouth, right? So I’m restraining myself today. Don’t say it!”
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Katter refused to take more questions from Bavas, who continued to ask about his views on migration.
Bavas, who has covered Katter for more than 15 years as a former ABC north Queensland reporter, said he was surprised by the outburst as he believed the question was benign.
“In an extraordinary press conference where a federal parliamentarian was talking about taking names on lists and deportation of residents, I was trying to ask a question about the value migrant Australian families, including the Katters and my own family, bring to this nation through shared values,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“In my near 20 years in journalism, I’ve never experienced that kind of reaction from an elected representative.”
Nine’s executive director of news and current affairs, Fiona Dear, said Bavas was just doing his job.
“Mr Katter’s aggressive behaviour and threats were unacceptable,” Dear said.
“His baseless and offensive accusation of racism is an irresponsible attempt to shut down a legitimate line of questioning and warrants a public apology from Mr Katter. We stand by Josh Bavas and will continue to report without fear or favour.”
Former MP George Christensen subsequently posted on Facebook that people should disrespect journalists – alongside a drawing of a muscular boxing kangaroo with an Australian flag.
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“After Bob Katter’s spray, it’s your patriotic duty to disrespect journalists,” he said. Many of the 600 comments were supportive of the sentiment and called on Bavas to apologise to Katter.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was critical of Katter on Friday.
“Bob Katter I like, but Bob Katter needs to have a look at that footage. Have a look at himself, frankly, and recognise that that’s just not what we expect of any Australian, let alone someone who’s in public office,” he told Nine.
“You’re speaking to someone called Albanese. We’ve got a Senate leader called Wong. Migration enriches. Except for the First Australians, we’re all either migrants or descendants of them.”
The Coalition senator Jane Hume called for Katter to face consequences for threatening violence.
“You should always be able to feel safe and respected at work – journalists and politicians,” she told the ABC on Friday.
“The idea of threatening violence is entirely unacceptable. There must be consequences.”
Katter’s grandfather, Carlyle Assad Khittar, migrated from Lebanon in 1898. Bavas later in Thursday’s press conference reminded Katter that they had spoken before about his Lebanese heritage.
Katter has previously become angry when asked about his ancestry in the context of his anti-immigration views.
In 2018, he told Sky News reporter Tom Connell that he needed “a big hiding” for raising the issue, saying it was “racist”.
Bavas said his full question to Katter, which was cut off, was: “You’ve got Lebanese heritage yourself, what’s your message for hard-working migrants who come here and have the shared values you have?”
Katter was contacted for comment, as was Queensland police.
