Andrew Laming secures $79k payout from ABC reporter Louise Milligan over series of tweets

ABC journalist Louise Milligan will pay Queensland MP Andrew Laming over tweets suggesting he “upskirted” a woman – and the public will foot the massive bill.

The taxpayer will pick up a legal bill in excess of $120,000 after ABC journalist Louise Milligan agreed to pay Queensland federal MP Andrew Laming over a series of tweets falsely suggesting he criminally “upskirted” a woman.

Mr Laming has secured a payout in a defamation case against the high-profile journalist to the tune of $79,000 in damages plus legal costs.

The retiring Member for Bowman filed a defamation claim against Milligan over a series of tweets she made falsely suggesting he had admitted to the criminal offence of taking an “upskirting” photo of a woman’s underwear.

On Wednesday the Federal Court in Sydney was informed the case had been settled.

Justice Anna Katzmann made consent orders relating to the damages and legal costs after Milligan accepted a settlement offer made on July 21. The sum of the costs will be decided on a later date.

The politician’s legal costs are understood to be between $40,000 and $50,000 bringing the bill to about $120,000 before Ms Milligan’s own legal costs are added.

Dr Laming launched legal proceedings against Milligan in June over a series of four tweets—that have since been deleted—that were published in March this year.

ABC Journalist Louise Milligan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

The tweets included the suggestion he had “admitted to an offence under the criminal code ... ie taking a photo of a woman’s underwear under her skirt”.

Dr Laming took action over the tweets after an investigation by Queensland Police found no evidence a criminal offence had been committed over a photo he had took of a Brisbane woman while she stocked a fridge at a business he was visiting in 2019.

Dr Laming, in a statement, said he was “extremely pleased” by the outcome of the defamation case.

“My case is an example of how a false allegation can be quickly and widely disseminated over social media by persons who have no direct/personal knowledge of what actually happened.

“It is regrettable that so many people including so called investigative journalists, media personalities and political identities use social media to make unwarranted attacks of this nature.

“No one should be subjected to this type of harassment and character assassination without recourse and the defamation laws are important to achieve that end.”

Andrew Laming said the tweets were harassment and character assassination. Image Tracey Nearmy/AUSPIC

The ABC, also in a statement, confirmed it would be covering Milligan’s costs in the case and it was a decision “arising from particular and exceptional circumstances”.

The public broadcaster said resolving the claim avoided “potentially protracted and costly legal action”.

“In March, Ms Milligan in good faith published several Twitter posts regarding Dr Laming,” the ABC stated.

“One of those posts contained an honest error that had been widely reported by numerous other journalists and politicians on social and mass media. The ABC is not aware of legal proceedings in relation to statements or reporting by others.

“The error concerned the circumstances in which Dr Laming took a photograph. In June Ms Milligan deleted the tweets and posted a substantial statement correcting the record.”