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Ex-lobbyist 'trying to destroy' Burgess

Luke CostinAAP
Sam Burgess (left) is accused of yelling "I'm going to get you" at his former father-in-law.
Camera IconSam Burgess (left) is accused of yelling "I'm going to get you" at his former father-in-law.

The lobbyist best known for killing off the Rudd-Gillard government's mining tax "deliberately" tried to destroy the career of his son-in-law, retired NRL star Sam Burgess, a court has heard.

Burgess, a former South Sydney captain, is accused of yelling "I'm going to get you" at Mitch Hooke during an expletive-riddled rage, sparked when he was asked to leave the Hookes' Southern Highlands property in October 2019.

Testifying at a court hearing on Friday, Burgess admitted swearing and being angry during the argument but said it was the father of his estranged wife Phoebe Burgess making the threat.

"(Mr Hooke said) 'I'm going to make sure I ruin your career if it's the last thing I do'," he said.

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While defending the charge of intimidation, Burgess's legal team have accused Mr Hooke and his daughter of orchestrating a damaging October 2020 expose on the retired Rabbitoh.

Lawyer Phillip Boulten SC pointed to Mr Hooke's former job as boss of the Minerals Council, which led the charge against the Minerals Resource Rent Tax from 2010 to 2013, and the Hooke family's connection to journalist and commentator Sharri Markson.

"He (Mr Hooke) does not draw opposition without coming after his opponent doubly hard," Mr Boulten said.

"Mr Hooke and Ms Burgess have tried to destroy my client's career.

"It was done deliberately to cause damage to my client's reputation. It's consistent with my client's assertion that (Mr Hooke said) I'm going to get you, I'm going to make sure I destroy your career."

Burgess says he had tried to defuse the situation in the living room but Mr Hooke continued saying things to him.

The pair eventually ended up in the driveway before Burgess angrily drove off.

"I closed the boot but Mitch was still saying things to me," Burgess said.

"I said 'you're a bad person, you're a piece of s***.'"

Ms Burgess, who arrived minutes after Burgess left the home, testified to finding her father emotional, shaky and not making a lot of sense.

Police observed Mr Hooke was "pale" and had hands shaking 45 minutes after Burgess left, prosecutor Jamie Palmer said

She said Burgess' evidence that he and Mr Hooke had been metres apart when yelling at each other on the driveway "doesn't make sense".

Burgess denies holding a finger up to Mr Hooke's face while telling him "I'm going to get you".

"Why would a man say 'What are you going to do? Hit a 64-year-old man?' When he's 10 metres away?" Inspector Palmer submitted.

Accusing Burgess of minimising his actions in court, the prosecutor said he had reacted angrily to being told what to do and then kept "wanting to have another say".

"He didn't want to leave ... he was going to go when he wanted to go, regardless of what Mr Hooke said," she said.

Magistrate Robert Rabbidge is due to deliver his verdict on February 5.

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