PM seeking advice on blind trust for Christian Porter defamation case

Scott Morrison’s office is looking into whether a blind trust which took contributions from persons unknown to pay the legal costs of Christian Porter’s defamation action meets standards for ministerial conduct.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office is looking into whether a blind trust which took contributions from persons unknown to pay the legal costs of Industry Minister Christian Porter’s defamation action meets standards for ministerial conduct.

Mr Porter had been involved in an expensive legal battle with the ABC over allegations he raped a now-deceased young woman in 1988, claims which he strenuously denies.

This week he updated his register of parliamentary interests to reflect the existence of the trust, which is thought to have helped to cover as much as $1 million in legal fees via anonymous donations.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Christian Porter during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Both Labor and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull criticised the arrangement this week.

“Christian Porter absolutely must disclose every single dollar, where it came from, transparently so that people can see what the basis of this is. It is just not believable that people have somehow found out about this fund and made contributions to this fund without Christian Porter’s knowledge,” Labor leader Anthony Albanese said.

Meanwhile Mr Turnbull, who is a frequent critic of the Morrison government and who has been at loggerheads with Mr Porter since the 2018 leadership spill, told ABC Radio: “This flies in the face of every principle of transparency and accountability in public life ... I will be even more staggered if the Prime Minister allows this to stand.”

Mr Morrison’s office moved Wednesday afternoon to bring clarity and resolution to the issue.

“The Prime Minister is taking this matter seriously and has discssued the matter with the Minister today,” a spokesman for Mr Morrison said.

“The Prime Minister is seeking advice from his department on any implications for the Ministerial Standards and any actions the Minister must take to ensure that he meets the Standards,” he said.

Mr Porter’s legal action against the ABC cost him his position as Attorney-General due to fears around conflict of interest.

A settlement was reached between Mr Porter and the national broadcaster that saw the ABC append a note to the original article about the allegations stating that they never meant to suggest his guilt in the matter.

Originally published as PM seeking advice on blind trust for Christian Porter defamation case