Andrew Bolt: Taxpayers slugged for ABC’s legal fix

It’s absurd taxpayers have had to pay $1m for the ABC to save journalist Louise Milligan from the consequences of her untruths.

ABC journalist Louise Milligan.. Picture: Brett Costello

Why is the ABC running a protection racket for journalist Louise Milligan, after she’s smeared so many innocent men? And why have taxpayers had to pay $1m for the ABC to save her from the consequences of her untruths?

Milligan’s latest false accusation – that federal MP Andrew Laming broke the law and photographed a woman under her skirt – has just cost us $79,000 in court-ordered damages, and an estimated $50,000 in Laming’s legal fees. That’s not counting the ABC’s own legal costs.

Laming was actually innocent of “upskirting”, even if foolish. He’d photographed a woman in shorts – not a skirt – filling a fridge.

It is astonishing that the ABC is now picking up Milligan’s costs, when she’d smeared Laming on her private Twitter account, and on an issue unrelated to her work for the ABC.

The ABC’s explanation explains nothing: “The ABC decided to pay Ms Milligan’s costs in this matter, a decision arising from particular and exceptional circumstances.”

What “circumstances”? That the ABC has defended her so often that it doesn’t dare now admit she’s an embarrassment?

Milligan notoriously painted the innocent Cardinal George Pell as a paedophile.

I suspect the ABC’s protection has encouraged Milligan (pictured) to keep making the same devastating mistake – to assume the worst of men accused of sex crimes, and then publicly destroy their careers.

Milligan notoriously painted the innocent Cardinal George Pell as a paedophile, leading an ABC witch-hunt that helped to hound Pell into jail, until the High Court decided – seven judges to nil – he was the victim of an injustice.

Milligan still hasn’t apologised.

Instead, she then implied federal minister Christian Porter was the rapist of a 16-year-old girl, back when he was 17, relying on the rambling writings of a disturbed woman, now dead, describing improbable details from more than 40 years ago.

When Porter sued, the ABC admitted the allegation could not be proved even on the balance of probabilities, and paid Porter and his lawyers $100,000 in mediation costs on top of the $680,000 the ABC incurred in its own legal costs.

Milligan did not apologise.

Now this latest payout for Milligan’s smear of Laming. Again, Milligan tried to get the court to say she wasn’t actually admitting fault, even as the ABC agreed to Laming’s payout.

Shameless. Why is the ABC protecting Milligan? In fact, why is it still hiring her? How many more lives will it let her disturb?