Footy great Warren Tredrea loses $6million Covid vaccine legal battle with Channel Nine

A lawsuit brought by AFL great Warren Tredrea against former employer Channel Nine for firing him when he refused to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates has been dismissed.

The former Port Adelaide forward claimed the broadcaster unfairly terminated his $192,500 a year contract as a South Australian sports presenter in January 2022 for refusing to get the vaccination.

Tredrea argued Nine’s direction requiring staff to be vaccinated was unreasonable because the virus posed a low risk of illness, the vaccine was not particularly effective and it presented health risks to recipients.

He sought almost $6million in damages for lost wages.

Justice Geoffrey Kennett dismissed Tredrea’s application in a Federal Court hearing on Thursday, agreeing with Nine’s claim that it had a right to terminate his contract to protect itself from reputational damage.

The former Port Adelaide star argued that the vaccine posed a health risk to anyone who received it – but the judge saw things differently 

‘The evidence does not show that the decision to terminate the services agreement was anything other than a reasonable one, in the sense of a bona fide attempt to protect Channel Nine’s legitimate interests,’ Justice Kennett wrote in his judgment.

Nine as an employer had an interest in its workers being able to come to work without disruption and to respect the ‘wishes and concerns of the significant majority of the workforce who wanted the people with whom they had contact to be vaccinated’, the judgment said.

Justice Kennett found Tredrea undermined Nine’s efforts to administer its workforce by refusing to inform his employer of his vaccination status.

He also posed a reputational risk to the company through his outspoken public comments against the Covid vaccine, which were opposed to Nine’s public position.

‘Mr Tredrea was a controversial figure who was discussed in other media outlets in a manner that was unwelcome to Channel Nine,’ Justice Kennett said.

‘Rather than having the studied neutrality of a newsreader, he was associated in public discourse with an unpopular viewpoint on an issue apt to excite strong emotions.’

Justice Geoffrey Kennett found that Tredrea’s anti-vaccine stance risked Nine’s reputation

Tredrea has been ordered to pay Nine’s legal costs but will be allowed to present a claim as to why he should not have to pay them.

Speaking outside his lawyers’ offices in Adelaide, Tredrea said it was a disappointing result but flagged a potential appeal.

‘We didn’t get the rub of the green today but it might not be over,’ he told reporters.

‘Its been a significant (financial) outlay to take this on but we’re very adamant that we believe we’ve gone the right course. We wouldn’t have gone this far if we didn’t.’

Tredrea, who retired as a player in 2010, was Port’s all-time leading goalkicker and only AFL premiership captain.