Christian Porter could be affected by Australian Electoral Commission’s redistribution plan

The Australian Electoral Commission has released its draft redistribution plan, and embattled Attorney-General Christian Porter could be affected.

Western Australia looks set to lose the seat of Stirling at the next federal election, while there will also be significant changes to seats held by Attorney-General Christian Porter and Labor’s Anne Aly.

The Australian Electoral Commission released its draft redistribution plan on Friday, cutting the number of seats in the state from 16 to 15.

With the proposed abolition of Stirling, which is held by Liberal MP Vince Connelly, electors would be split into surrounding divisions of Cowan, Curtin, Moore and Perth.

There are some big changes proposed for the seat of Pearce, which is held by Attorney-General Christian Porter. Picture: Stefan Gosatti/AFP

Electors in 15 Wheatbelt shires will also be transferred from Durack to O’Connor, while six Wheatbelt shires will move from Mr Porter’s seat of Pearce to Durack and O’Connor.

It means all WA Wheatbelt shires will be included in two divisions rather than three.

Northern Perth suburbs of Girrawheen, Koondoola, Balga and Mirrabooka will also be united in the proposed division of Cowan, which is held by Dr Aly.

Anne Aly’s seat of Cowan will see be changed under the AEC redistribution proposal. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers acknowledged some significant changes would occur under the proposal.

“Fifteen of the existing 16 division names would be retained,” he said.

“The basis for naming the division of Canning would be expanded to acknowledge Sadie Miriam Canning – in recognition of her work to improve Indigenous and rural healthcare in Western Australia.”

Ms Canning was WA’s, and possibly Australia’s, first Indigenous nurse and matron.

Stirling is named after Sir James Stirling, who was infamously involved in the 1834 Pinjarra massacre that killed up to 80 Aboriginal people.

The draft redistribution proposal is now open for objections and comments.

DATE SET FOR CHRISTIAN PORTER’S ABC SHOWDOWN

Embattled Liberal MP Christian Porter will head to the Federal Court in May as part of his showdown against the ABC.

The Attorney-General is suing the national broadcaster and journalist Louise Milligan following the ABC’s reporting on the alleged historic rape allegations made against him by a now deceased woman known only as Kate, who claimed before her death that she was sexually assaulted by Porter in 1988 while the then-teenagers were attending an interstate debating competition in NSW.

Mr Porter has denied the allegations, and has called subsequent reporting and calls for an inquiry a “trial by media”.

On Thursday, Justice Jayne Jagot ordered the ABC to file its defence before May 4, with Mr Porter’s reply due by May 11.

The matter will then be heard on May 14.

PORTER “INNOCENT MAN”, PM SAYS

Christian Porter is “an innocent man under our law” and will not be moved from his portfolio, Scott Morrison says.

The Attorney-General has vigorously denied the allegation he raped a 16-year-old in 1988, with police unable to pursue the matter after the alleged victim took her own life last year.

Despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the case, Mr Morrison has rejected calls for an independent probe.

And he rejected claims it was untenable for Mr Porter to continue as the nation’s chief law officer under a cloud, saying moving him from his portfolio would have no legal basis.

Scott Morrison says Christian Porter is an ‘innocent man under our law’. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

“He is an innocent man under our law,” Mr Morrison said.

“To suggest there should be some different treatment applied to him, based on what had been allegations that the police have closed the matter on … I think would be grossly inappropriate.”

Mr Morrison said reports the Legal Practice Board of WA had referred the allegation was a “matter for them” but said every Australian was entitled to the same treatment under the rule of law.

“That is the fair go you get under our rule of law in this country. And I will not be one to undermine it,” he said.

But former solicitor-general Justin Gleeson said an independent probe into the matter would be a “circuit breaker” as Mr Porter was unable to draw a line under the matter.

Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus backed that call on Wednesday, urging Mr Morrison to seek advice from the current solicitor-general.

“I’m very confident (he) will explain to the Prime Minister that his excuses about the rule of law are absurd,” he told the ABC.

“I’ve spoken to very, very many lawyers about this; not one of them thinks that the calling of an independent inquiry is a threat to the rule of law.”

Attorney-General Christian Porter has vigorously denied an historical rape allegation levelled at him. Picture: Stefan Gosatti/AFP

He cited a probe into sexual harassment allegations against former High Court justice Dyson Heydon as a model.

“We are talking about two different things: whether or not charges should be laid that was the purpose of the (closed) police inquiry,” he said.

“But the inquiry that the Prime Minister should be setting up is the one which inquires into fitness for office.”

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek pointed out on Tuesday the Coalition had pursued historical allegations against former prime minister Julia Gillard via an independent probe.

PM ‘WON’T INDULGE’ PORTER PROBE

Scott Morrison says he will “not indulge in extrajudicial processes” despite calls for an independent inquiry into an historical rape allegation levelled against Christian Porter.

The Attorney-General has been accused of raping a 16-year old in 1988, an allegation he emphatically denies.

The alleged victim took her own life in 2020, a day after informing she no longer wanted to pursue the complaint.

The Prime Minister has faced growing calls to launch an independent inquiry into the allegation after NSW Police declined to investigate it, citing “insufficient admissible evidence”.

Mr Morrison backed a coronial inquiry in South Australia, where the woman died, if “coroners see fit”.

But he told reporters on Tuesday he would “not indulge” the idea of an independent probe, arguing it would undermine equality before the law.

“There is not a separate legal process that applies to the Attorney-General or anyone else. There’s only one rule of law here,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to indulge in other extrajudicial processes that suggest that one Australian is subject to a different legal process to any other Australian.

“If we do that, we are eroding the very principles of the rule of law in this country. There are not two laws in this country.”

But Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek dismissed the claim as “nonsense”, citing an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former High Court judge Dyson Heydon.

Labor and the Greens have called for an independent probe. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce broke ranks on Monday, saying the move was necessary to avoid a media “mosh pit”.

Ms Plibersek said Australians needed to be convinced Mr Porter was fit to hold his role despite no formal police investigation.

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek has dismissed arguments a probe would threaten the rule of law as ‘nonsense’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“We have a very serious allegation against the first law officer of the land. He needs to be above reproach and beyond doubt, and tragically the complainant in the case is not here to pursue all legal avenues herself,” she said.

She also accused the Coalition of hypocrisy, saying they weaponised an inquiry into whether former prime minister Julia Gillard had used union money to pay for a home renovation in 1994.

“This is a government that spent $86m on a royal commission into whether Julia Gillard’s boyfriend built her bathroom 30 years ago,” she said.

With rapes under-reported and convictions rates low, Ms Plibersek said victims needed to be given confidence in the legal system.

“Let’s see some reforms that would make it a little easier to make these claims and a little fairer when it comes to properly determining what’s happened,” she said.

It comes after revelations the alleged victim told a counsellor about the allegation in 2013 aired on the ABC’s Four Corners on Monday.

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Originally published as Christian Porter could be affected by Australian Electoral Commission’s redistribution plan