Fairfax chairman Roger Corbett claims that Gina Rinehart’s refusal to sign the editorial charter of independence was a major factor in the current directors’ unanimous decision to deny the mining mogul seats on the board.

In further correspondence between Rinehart and Fairfax Chairman Roger Corbett, she raised other concerns, including why Fairfax Radio, a “peripheral business” has not been sold. This came after a statement released earlier by Rinehart’s mining company, Hancock Prospecting, in which chief development officer John Klepec suggested that at even with two seats (the company was hoping for three), Hancock could not make Fairfax sustainable.

Klepec’s letter also commented on Fairfax’s own history of breaking the editorial charter, saying the principle of journalistic independence had been ignored when ordering journalists to support Earth Hour.

He went on to suggest that a more “effective” charter of independence could be endorsed, should it be agreed upon. The statement did not go so far as to  deny allegations that Rinehart would want the power to hire and fire journalists.