Warren Tredrea, former AFL player and Adelaide sports presenter for Channel 9, is in an ongoing legal battle with the network, suing for unfair dismissal.
The case, is currently before the Federal Court where Warren Tredrea claims his contract was unjustly terminated in January 2022 on account of his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
In contrast, Channel 9’s defence centres around Tredrea’s on-air performance and the reputational impact following his public comments on the vaccine made during several radio shows.
Details have emerged from the court documents suggesting that Jeremy Pudney, Channel 9 News Director, harboured concerns about Tredrea’s remuneration long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tredrea was being paid over $216,000 annually for fewer than four hours of work a day, a compensation which Pudney deemed disproportionate to his work hours and commitments, especially when compared to other on-air news presenters.
This led Pudney to conclude that Tredrea was “compensated too highly for his work.”
An affidavit from Pudney, released by the Federal Court, indicated that Tredrea’s employment agreement started in December 2018. As part of the contract, he was required to work five days a week from approximately 3.30pm to around 7.15pm. His duties included reading sports news on the 6pm bulletin and recording various segments.
When Tredrea’s contract was up for renegotiation in 2020, Pudney expressed concerns over the high pay rate for a presenter working from 3.30pm. Pudney proposed a new agreement that would reduce Tredrea’s pay but increase his working hours, including presenting a midday sports segment. Pudney admitted in his affidavit that he was prepared for the possibility of Tredrea choosing to leave the network.
However, Pudney also had to consider the significant public profile of Tredrea, given his status as Port Adelaide Football Club’s only premiership captain. With a substantial public following and reputation, there was the risk of backlash if Tredrea’s contract was not renegotiated. Pudney thus had to balance his concerns about Tredrea’s remuneration and performance against his significant public reputation.
The dispute escalated when Tredrea’s contract was terminated in January 2022, an event that Pudney believed would mark the end of Tredrea’s tenure with Channel 9. However, this was a far cry from Tredrea’s expectations, who had planned on spending over 20 years with the broadcaster.
The trial has unveiled a three-pronged reason for Tredrea’s dismissal, according to Pudney. Tredrea’s refusal to comply with Channel Nine’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, his on-air performance as a sports presenter, and the detrimental impacts to both the network’s and Tredrea’s reputations following “inaccurate” comments made on a local radio station about the COVID-19 vaccine were all cited as grounds for his dismissal.
Pudney emphasised his concern about Tredrea providing his personal opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic and his misunderstandings about the vaccine, which Pudney labelled as “factual errors”.
Pudney has dismissed any suggestions that his concerns regarding Tredrea’s performance were overstated to support the network’s narrative around the dismissal. He revealed that he had been dissatisfied with Tredrea’s on-air performance for some time, citing a lack of improvement after a 2018 performance review where Tredrea was rated as “superior”.
The situation surrounding Tredrea’s radio comments and his refusal to be vaccinated had, according to Pudney, caused “permanent bruises” to both his and the network’s reputation.
The trial continues.
SOURCES: The Advertiser and ABC News
I hope he wins.