Australian Attorney General Christian Porter Revealed as Liberal Party Cabinet Minister at Center of Unsubstantiated Rape Allegations

Australia’s chief attorney general, Christian Porter, revealed that he is the man at the center of a historic rape allegation involving a 16-year-old girl in Sydney in 1988, an accusation he emphatically denies.

After seven days of headlines about the shocking claims, Porter today decided to renounce his anonymity and categorically deny the allegations. Porter has never been charged and police have confirmed the matter is “closed.”

An emotional Porter told reporters that he sympathized with the Adelaide woman’s parents and reports of the allegations.

“The things that are being said that happened did not happen,” he said.

“It’s the truth. Nothing that is in the indictments that have been printed happened.”

Porter said he had waited until the NSW police concluded the case so as not to interfere with the investigation.

“Keep quiet. Follow the rules. A very difficult decision. I have been subjected to the wildest and most unbridled accusations in Australian politics.”

The Attorney General said he was “deeply sorry” that the speculation had involved his colleagues who were “his friends.”

Porter said he had been put on trial by the media when he was forced to remain silent.

“I have dedicated most of my adult working life to public service and the law. I have given absolutely everything I had in the tank over the last year to our government, which has been desperately trying to help the country get out of the law. worst crisis “. in its modern history, ” he said.

“If I retire from my position as Attorney General due to an accusation about something that just didn’t happen, then anyone in Australia can lose their career, their job, their life’s work based on nothing more than an indictment that appears in print. .

“If that happens, anyone in public life can be removed from office simply by printing an indictment. Every child we raise can have their lives destroyed just by the online reports of the indictments.

“I guess if I stepped down and that set a new standard, there wouldn’t be much need for an Attorney General anyway because there would be a rule of law left to protect in this country, so I won’t be part of allowing that to happen while I’m Attorney General “.

Porter said he would now take a mental health leave period.

“After speaking with my own doctor, I will take a short leave of absence to evaluate and hopefully improve my own mental health,” he said.

“All my life I have moved on, but to the many loving family and friends who have asked me that question over the course of the last week,” Are you okay? “I have to say that my … answer is I really don’t know. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m going to seek some professional evaluation and help answering that question over the next several weeks.”

Porter, 49, made the statement after consulting with libel attorneys.

The woman was an award-winning debater who met him when he represented South Australia on a state debate team as a teenager. In an unsworn statement, he claimed the incident occurred in 1988 after a night of drinking and dancing at Kings Cross.

At the time, she was 16 years old. Porter was 17 years old.

The claims were circulated last week in an anonymous file that was distributed to police and political leaders, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Green Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

The woman who made the claim died in June 2020 after taking her life in Adelaide after reaching out to police in 2019. Her family is believed to be adamant that they do not want her to be identified.

On Tuesday, New South Wales police confirmed that they will not pursue an investigation.

“Since then, the NSW police have sought legal advice in relation to these matters,” said a spokesman.

“According to information provided to the NSW Police, there is insufficient admissible evidence to proceed.

“As such, the NSW Police have determined that the matter is now closed.”

The prime minister has previously revealed that the liberal minister at the center of the accusation, who had not been identified at the time, “vigorously” denies the allegations.

But former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Tuesday that the minister must now “show himself” in respect to his colleagues and to the country.

“He should come out himself and should provide a full statement,” he said.

“You should describe when you met the woman, how you met the woman, what dealings you had with the woman after the event. We need to know what you knew about the complaint and when you found out.

“Frankly, it’s not enough for the Prime Minister to say ‘Oh, it’s a police matter.’ The Prime Minister cannot outsource his responsibility for composing his ministry to the police.

“He should ask the minister to speak. He owes it to his colleagues and to the country.”

The NSW police investigation into the Adelaide woman’s claims was stopped by her just days before her suicide.

However, the South African Police are reviewing evidentiary material related to his death to ensure that all documentation is sent to a coronary investigation.

On Monday, Morrison said he first heard of an anonymous letter he sent him last week detailing the claims and that he spoke with the minister and the AFP commissioner that same night.

The Prime Minister also revealed that he had been “briefed” on the unfounded rape allegations against the minister, but had not read the document or the woman’s own words.

“Did I raise it? Yes, I did. And he strongly and completely denied the allegations. That means there is now a proper process to follow,” Morrison said.

“It is the police, in a country where it is governed by the rule of law, that determines the veracity of any allegation of this nature,” he said.

When asked if he believed the minister’s denials, Morrison said it was a matter for the police.

Attorney Michael Bradley, who represented the woman before her death, has called for an independent political investigation into the matter.

“It is a very unusual and unfortunate situation,” Bradley said.