Gerry Harvey

In 2026, the Federal Court imposed a penalty of 35 million dollars on Harvey Norman Holdings for advertisements presenting purchases as 'interest-free' or requiring 'no deposit' when consumers had to take out and use a credit card carrying fees. Latitude received a separate penalty.

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Direct responsibility

Harvey Norman and franchisees received approximately 22 million dollars in JobKeeper payments while the group reported very strong results. Gerry Harvey initially resisted calls for repayment; controlled entities subsequently returned approximately 6 million dollars.

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Direct responsibility

A parliamentary and media investigation revealed that horses associated with Broombee Stud, owned by Gerry Harvey, had been sent to a slaughter facility, although Racing NSW rules prohibited sending former racehorses directly to slaughterhouses.

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Directly implicated

Harvey Norman shareholders rejected the remuneration report by more than 50 % in 2018 and approximately 47,6 % in 2019, triggering Australia's two-strikes mechanism and a vote on a possible board spill. The AGMs were also marked by Gerry Harvey's verbal attacks on activist shareholders.

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Direct responsibility

Gerry Harvey criticised the target of 30 % female representation on company boards, claiming that certain appointments might involve insufficiently qualified individuals. His remarks provoked a strong reaction in the debate over equality and governance.

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Personally implicated

The Australian Shareholders' Association asked ASIC to examine nearly 943 million dollars in loans and receivables relating to Harvey Norman franchisees, considering the accounts and board independence insufficiently transparent. ASIC subsequently confirmed that it was examining the accounts as part of its financial reporting supervision.

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Gerry Harvey and other major retailers launched a campaign to abolish the GST exemption for low-value imports purchased online. The campaign triggered massive consumer backlash, with critics viewing it as a protectionist attempt by large groups to counter e-commerce.

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Directly implicated

Commenting on Harvey Norman's difficulties in Ireland, Gerry Harvey drew a comparison with the Great Potato Famine. The wording was perceived as particularly clumsy and insensitive given Irish history.

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Personally implicated

The ACCC investigated Harvey Norman advertisements and practices concerning prices, product availability and bait advertising, among other issues. A subsidiary accepted Federal Court declarations, and Harvey Norman Holdings provided enforceable compliance undertakings.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Directly implicated