By Tara Cosoleto in Melbourne

Media mogul Antony Catalano can return to his Byron Bay home after his bail conditions were varied to allow interstate travel.

Catalano, 59, watched the Melbourne Magistrates Court hearing on a video link from his Victorian home on Tuesday, two months after he was charged over an alleged attack against his wife Stefanie.

The co-owner of Australian Community Media, publisher of  The Canberra Times,  is accused of intentionally choking, strangling or suffocating the woman at a St Kilda property in the early hours of March 13.

It’s also alleged Catalano unlawfully imprisoned his wife and detained her against her will.

Catalano is facing eight criminal charges, including recklessly cause injury, making threats to kill and assault.

His lawyer Tony Hargreaves on Tuesday sought an adjournment to July, telling the court the case had yet to resolve.

Mr Hargreaves requested Catalano’s bail conditions be varied to allow for interstate travel, which was unopposed by the prosecution.

The defence lawyer said the removal of the condition would allow his client to go to Byron Bay, where he owns property.

Magistrate Stephen Lee varied Catalano’s bail to allow for interstate travel and then adjourned the criminal case to July 1.

Catalano only spoke in the brief hearing to confirm he could hear the court and understood the changes to his bail conditions.

His bail was extended to his next court appearance.

Mr Hargreaves previously asked for his client to be excused from appearing in court in person because of media scrutiny.

Catalano had successfully completed a 28-day stint in rehab and had “deep remorse and sorrow” for his actions on March 13, the defence lawyer said during a hearing on May 11.

Australian Community Media, the country’s largest regional and rural digital media company.

Catalano bought the business from Nine Entertainment for $115 million in 2019.

He spent 26 years with Fairfax and was chief executive of Domain for four years, leading the property classifieds operation through its 2017 spin-off from Fairfax into a separately listed business.

ACM general manager Tony Kendall confirmed in March Catalano was placed on an immediate leave of absence until the court case was resolved.