Former Town of Port Hedland mayors’ Peter Carter and Camilo Blanco defamation provisional trial dates set

Dates for a provisional trial for the defamation case between former Port Hedland mayors Peter Carter and Camilo Blanco have been set for October. The provisional trial is set to take place over 10 days between October 10 and 30 in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in Perth. Mr Carter launched the defamation suit against Mr Blanco for damages over claims he made during the May 31, 2023, Port Hedland ordinary council meeting and in an online video. Mr Blanco questioned the mayor at the Town of Port Hedland’s May 31 council meeting about plans to build 4000 houses in the town. He was served with the defamation action after the June 2023 ordinary council meeting. In December 2024, the Supreme Court limited the claims Mr Blanco could use in his defence, finding it included allegations and evidence that extended beyond the scope of the articles and statements cited by Mr Carter as defamatory. These included references to unrelated incidents such as Mr Carter’s past business dealings involving Pilbara Airlines and an Aboriginal corporation. The court ruled such claims were too broad and irrelevant to the specific allegations in question. The decision meant Mr Blanco had to re-plead his case, narrowing it to the specific claims Mr Carter identified in his defamation suit. Key parts of Mr Blanco’s defence struck out by the court include broad allegations of fraud and corruption that were not directly tied to the housing development proposal or council meeting in question, as well as claims Mr Carter censored questions about his conduct at multiple meetings, despite evidence relating only to a single meeting on May 31, 2023.