Louise Roberts: Attorney General Christian Porter innocent until proven guilty

Whatever you think of Christian Porter’s at times unnerving press conference, he is right about one thing. He cannot stand down, he cannot quit and here’s why.

Whatever you think of Christian Porter’s at times unnerving press conference, he is right about one thing.

He cannot stand down, he cannot quit and here’s why.

In this country we are still innocent until proven guilty. Porter has not been arrested or charged and that won’t happen.

The police have closed the book on a criminal investigation due to insufficient evidence to lay a charge so he will never go to trial.

So does he deserve to lose his job? No. Will there be an inquest? Likely.

Is he still fit for politics and to represent ordinary Australians?

Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter addresses the media at a press conference in Perth Picture: Sharon Smith / NCA NewsWire.

Yes, as much as that might pain those wanting justice for a young woman who took her life last year, after she claims he raped her when she was 16 and he was 17 more than 30 years ago.

But will Porter want to continue in public life once he returns from mental health leave? That’s only for him to know.

Throughout the repeated and strenuous denials, my mind wandered to the woman’s parents.

Were they watching this? How did they feel? Would this give them closure or tear open a wound that has barely healed given she only died last year.

It’s excruciating to read the complexity of detail and the processes she took to document her version of events.

People want to believe an alleged rape victim, such is the era of seeking justice and righting the wrongs of sex offenders who have got away with it.

Mr Porter is visibly emotional. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

It was compelling to watch Porter, his eyes pricked with tears and there was an unmistakeable sheen of stress across his face.

His voice was hoarse and unpredictable in pitch, demonstrating that strained throat feeling when your brain wants to speak but your body wants you to sob.

Dressed in business blue and his top lip tight and rolling inward when exasperation and emotion got the better of him, Australia’s Attorney-General asked us to imagine that the allegations of rape against him were wrong, that they were “just not true”.

He remembers that time 33 years ago as a happy one.

Mr Porter takes questions from the media. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

In response to a question asking if the AG needed to be beyond reproach, he said no one was beyond an allegation. And then the most unedifying part:

“Just... Can I just, Can I, Can I,” his voice raised, trying to be heard over the press pack.

“If you could just imagine, and I know that we’re all cynics and this is a hard and tough environment, but just imagine for a second that it’s not true, that for whatever the recollection and belief that I’m sure was strongly held, it’s just not true, just imagine it for a second.”

Porter says he is no different from the person doing the job two weeks ago.

These horrible vile things?

“They just. Never. Happened,” he said staccato style to reinforce the point.

No doubt we are in a different time than 33 years ago but we still have a legal process.