Antony Catalano assault case adjourned as defence negotiates with prosecutors

The assault case involving media executive Antony Catalano will drag on for several more months, after his lawyers applied for a longer-than-normal adjournment to continue negotiating with prosecutors.

The 59-year-old is charged with attacking his wife Stefanie and threatening to kill her during an altercation in his St Kilda penthouse in March.

Mr Catalano, the former co-owner of newspaper publisher Australian Community Media (ACM), is accused of swinging a clothes iron at Ms Catalano's head and dragging her through the apartment.

He was released on bail after his arrest.

Last month, his bail conditions were varied, allowing him to travel to Byron Bay and spend time with his wife, who was supportive of the changes.

On Wednesday, Mr Catalano's lawyer Tony Hargreaves applied to adjourn the case until October 16.

Mr Hargreaves said the defence needed time to obtain expert reports and continue negotiations with prosecutors.

The defence lawyer said there were "reasons" why the lengthy adjournment was needed, but did not want to outline them in front of the media.

Mr Catalano's charges include assault, false imprisonment, making threats to kill and recklessly causing injury.

Mr Catalano recently resigned his directorship of holding companies that held shares in ACM and Southern Cross Media. His son was appointed in his place.

The former newspaper executive rose through the ranks at Fairfax Media, before taking the reins at its property listings company Domain. In 2019, he became part-owner of ACM in a deal worth $115 million.