WA Radio West presenter Ron Moffat told a joke about a patient in a mental health facility killing another, in a way that appeared as suicide, on air on 7.6.07. 

StigmaWatch contacted Mr Moffat to let him know that jokes like this have serious consequences for people whose lives have been touched by mental illness or suicide.

Mr Mat Cummins, Network Program Director of Macquarie Regional Radioworks WA, spoke to StigmaWatch about the joke.  Mr Cummins offered an unreserved apology and expressed a clear understanding of the issue and impropriety of the incident.

As a result all station staff were reminded that this sort of poor humour is out of step with community standards and with the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice. Mr Moffat was requested to re-sit one of the regular tests given to presenters on the Codes.

A teleconference was also held between all WA presenters to ensure nothing similar occurs elsewhere in the network.

Macquarie Regional Radioworks hopes that these actions will help restore listener confidence in the network.