All it took was an apology to end a protracted defamation battle between a former Labor politician and conservative pollsters over a tweet.
The Federal Court this week accepted a notice of discontinuance by Liberal Party pollsters Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor in their case against former member for Eden-Monaro Dr Mike Kelly.
Court documents noted a statement by Dr Kelly apologising for inferring the pair had engaged in push polling.
"In October 2011, I suggested in a message to my followers on Twitter that Crosby Textor had introduced push polling to Australia," the apology said.
"I acknowledge that this claim is untrue.
"If my tweet was understood to suggest that they had engaged in push polling, then I apologise to them."
The termination concludes four years of legal fighting that was sparked by a tweet in October 2011, when the former member for Eden-Monaro accused the pollsters of launching "push polling" in Australia.
The tweet read: "always grate [sic] to hear moralising from Crosby, Textor, Steal and Gnash. The mob who introduced push polling to Aus."
Push polling involves the use of loaded questions to sway the outcome of a poll.
The founders of lobbying firm Crosby Textor responded with a lawsuit that claimed the tweet defamed them.
In February 2013, Dr Kelly lost a High Court bid to have the case thrown out on the basis that the Federal Court did not have jurisdiction.
In April this year, a judge urged the case to go to mediation and noted a number of personality-driven issues appeared to be involved.
In May 2013, the pollsters' lawyers said they would drop the case if Dr Kelly apologised and proved true to their word.
In his apology, Dr Kelly explained his tweet had concerned a poll during a 1995 Canberra by-election, and noted that "Crosby Textor's business has not commenced at the time of the events I had in mind".
"It was conducted by a well-known polling organisation on behalf of the Liberal Party.
"Mr Textor was involved in that poll and he acknowledges that information used in that poll was untrue for which he later apologised to the Labor candidate.
"Mr Textor has assured me that the 1995 poll was not a push poll and that the information he used was given to him in error. I accept Mr Textor's assurances in respect of that poll.
"I also accept Mr Crosby's and Mr Textor's assurances that they have not engaged in push polling at all."
