Christian Porter reveals ‘constant abuse’ in statement following his resignation

Christian Porter has released a lengthy statement in the wake of his resignation, which followed his decision to accept a cash donation to pay legal bills.

Scott Morrison has confirmed Industry Minister Christian Porter has tendered his resignation from the ministry after he was unable to provide more information on the blind trust established to pay his legal bills.

The Prime Minister revealed on Sunday that the former Attorney-General had “tendered his resignation and I have accepted it” after he was unable to provide more information on his mystery benefactor.

He said his difficult decision was about “upholding” the ministerial guidelines.

“If we were able to do that, that would allow the Minister to conclusively rule out a perceived conflict, and as a result of him acknowledging that, he has this afternoon taken the appropriate course of action to uphold those standards by tendering his resignation as a minister this afternoon, and I have accepted his resignation,’’ Mr Morrison said.

“His actions have been about upholding the standards. Our discussions today were about upholding the standards. We believe they are incredibly important, and it is not just about actual conflicts, it’s about the standards for ministers to have an obligation to avoid any perception of conflicts of interest that is ultimately what has led the Minister to make that decision this afternoon.

“I want to thank Minister Porter for his service in my government, I want to thank him for his service as the Minister for industry, science and technology, and I want to thank him for his role as Attorney-General for several years, not only under my government but under my predecessor.”

Mr Morrison will appoint Angus Taylor as the acting Minister for Science and Technology.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Christian Porter’s resignation in a press conference on Sunday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

Porter releases statement following resignation

In a statement, Mr Porter said he was the victim of vile abuse over the “false allegations” that he had raped a woman as a teenager and the “trial by media” that had unfolded had set a new and disturbing standard in Australia.

He did not suggest that he planned to return the money now that he was no longer governed by the ministerial standards. However, Labor MPs indicated this matter could now be referred to the privileges committee of Parliament that governs such disclosures.

“On 26 February 2021, I was the subject of an allegation in an article published by the ABC that was not true. That article depicted events that never happened and which the ABC, in settlement of a defamation case, acknowledged was an allegation that could not ‘ … be substantiated to the applicable legal standard – criminal or civil,’’ Mr Porter said.

“As I tried my best to say at a media conference shortly after the allegation was reported, the initial article and subsequent media reporting has created a new standard under which literally any Australian can be the subject of an accusation widely published and, without due process or fairness, be tried and judged in a trial by media.

“After my experience it now seems to be a part of modern public life that if you are a politician, particularly a conservative politician, a mere allegation is considered enough to warrant an accusation being widely published, regardless of its inability to be proven to a civil or criminal standard. From the moment the ABC article was published, I entered what appears to me now to be an inescapable media frenzy where the evidence, or in this case lack of it, appeared to be irrelevant. Instead, all that appeared to matter was the presence of an accusation.

Christian Porter has handed in his resignation. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sharon Smith

“To my disbelief, even in some mainstream media the onus of proof was completely reversed. The Sydney Morning Herald summed up the new reversed standard of proof in its declaration just days after the ABC article was published that: ‘It’s up to the Government to convince Australians that the Attorney General is innocent.’

“It is almost impossible – for anyone – to prove that something did not happen, let alone to positively disprove what are at times completely bizarre allegations about something claimed in an unsigned document about a night 33 years ago, where the person withdrew the complaint and is now sadly deceased. From that point, when the reporting on both social media generally, and in parts of the mainstream media, shifted from a presumption of innocence to one of guilt, an impossible standard was set for any person to meet – politician or not.”

Mr Porter said there was evidence that he believed would demonstrate the allegations lack credibility.

“The most frightening indicator that the public broadcaster was central to this shift to a presumption of guilt in a trial by media is the fact that the ABC – seemingly with great care and effort – has reported only those parts of the information that it has in its possession which feeds into its narrative of guilt,’’ he said.

“I have recently been provided from a source outside the ABC with a copy of the only signed document that the person who made and subsequently withdrew the complaint ever made. Many parts of that 88-page document are such that any reasonable person would conclude that they show an allegation that lacks credibility; was based on repressed memory (which has been completely rejected by courts as unreliable and dangerous); which relied on diaries said to be drafted in 1990/91 but which were actually words composed in 2019; and, was written by someone who was, sadly, very unwell.

“This material, which remains unreported, clearly does not feed the ABC’s predetermined narrative of guilt by accusation. And presumably because this document detracts so substantively from the credibility of the allegations there has been careful and deliberate avoidance in reporting it or publishing the parts of it that run counter to the chosen narrative.

“Having set in motion its trial by accusation, the ABC unleashed the Twitter version of an angry mob. In this online mob environment the mere accusation – reported by Australia’s national broadcaster – was determined adequate to assign guilt, with no regard to evidence or, indeed, lack of evidence. All that seemed to matter was the fact that the accusation had been made and the identity of the person accused.

“The target of the Twitter mob then extended to anyone who contradicted the narrative of guilt by accusation. So fierce and vengeful is the response of the Twitter mob to anyone who dares say anything contrary to the narrative of guilt that those people then come to be deemed to commit a form of social crime for defending the subject of the unproven allegation and the mob turns on them. This happened to my two female lawyers, amongst many others.

“The journalists who said anything in support of what were once accepted principles of due process, rule of law and presumption of innocence in the context of the accusations against me felt the full force of the Twitter mob.”

Mr Porter said the donors who had provided him with financial support had done so on the condition of anonymity.

“Thousands of ordinary people contacted me, expressing disgust at what the ABC had done. Even though I suspected action against the taxpayer-funded broadcaster was probably going to be financially unsustainable, as it ultimately was, I decided I had to commence action against the ABC. Some people wanted to help in that course by supporting my defamation case. They contributed to a Trust on the basis of confidentiality and a belief that their contribution would remain confidential within the rules of disclosure.

“Whilst I have no right of access to the funding or conduct of the Trust, on my request the Trustee provided me an assurance that none of the contributors were lobbyists or prohibited foreign entities. This additional information was provided as part of my Ministerial disclosure. No doubt the desire of some, possibly many, of those contributors to remain anonymous was driven by a natural desire to avoid the inevitable fact that for supporting me, the trial by mob would inevitably turn on them if they were identified.

“Facing a false allegation is an experience that places your family, friends and staff under enormous and cruel pressure. It has resulted in constant abuse and ongoing threats. For me personally, the physical threats of violence, the experience of being spat at and publicly abused for something I didn’t do has been nearly beyond comprehension in a civilised country. To my family, friends, staff, colleagues and supporters who have helped me get through these most difficult days, words will never be able to adequately express the deep gratitude I feel.”

The former Attorney-General said he was confident that his disclosures to Parliament on the donors was proper and complied with the rules.

“I understand the questions raised in the media about the financial arrangements to help fund the now settled litigation. But I consider that I have provided the information required under the Members’ Register of Interests. I also considered that the additional disclosures I provided under the Ministerial Standards were in accordance with its additional requirements,’’ he said.

“However, after discussing the matter with the Prime Minister I accept that any uncertainty on this point provides a very unhelpful distraction for the Government in its work. To the extent that that uncertainty may be resolved by seeking further information in relation to the identities of the contributors, this would require me to put pressure on the Trust to provide me with information to which I am not entitled. I am not prepared to seek to break the confidentiality of those people who contributed to my legal fees under what are well-known and regular legal structures, including the confidentiality attached to the Trust contribution.

“Ultimately, the Prime Minister is a person for whom I have great personal and professional respect. But fully understanding the consequences, where I am not willing to put pressure on the Trust to provide me with any further information, I respectfully informed the Prime Minister that I would not place pressure on the Trust to provide me with information to which I am not entitled. I explained my reason for this was that I could not assist any process that would ultimately allow people who have done nothing wrong to become targets of the social media mob and I would continue to respect their position.

“Ultimately, I decided that if I have to make a choice between seeking to pressure the Trust to break individuals’ confidentiality in order to remain in Cabinet, or alternatively forego my Cabinet position, there is only one choice I could, in all conscience, make. Consequently, I provided the Prime Minister with my resignation earlier today. It is effective immediately.”

Mr Porter still plans to contest the next election.

“My greatest privilege has always been to serve the people of Pearce as their representative in the Australian Parliament since 2013 and to be re-elected by them in 2016 and 2019,’’ he said.

“I have previously stated my determination to contest the next election in Pearce and have nominated for preselection, and I have no intention of standing aside from my responsibilities to the people of Pearce.”

Finance Minister hammered over Porter donation

It follows a warning from Senate leader Simon Birmingham that ministers must obey the letter and the spirit of the ministerial guidelines that require transparency on gifts and donations.

Earlier on Sunday, Senator Birmingham was grilled over whether Christian Porter should remain on the frontbench despite accepting an anonymous donation to pay his legal fees.

“I’m not going to give a personal opinion. The Prime Minister has done the right thing by acknowledging that this instance raises some serious questions,” he told ABC’s Insiders.

“That’s why he has asked for precise and proper advice from his department, and I look forward to that being received, and the Prime Minister will, no doubt, then act on that advice accordingly.”

But host David Speers would not accept the Minister’s response and pressed on: “You’re a Minister. Surely you can have a personal view. Would you accept a personal donation?”

“I am a Minister and can have personal views but it is not my job to express personal views … we should all act in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the ministerial code of conduct,” Mr Birmingham replied.

“It’s important, as I said before, that all of us abide by the letter and spirit of that code of conduct.”

Last week, Mr Morrison said he was seeking legal advice on the matter to ascertain if it was in breach of ministerial guidelines.

Scott Morrison said he accepted Christian Porter’s resignation. Picture: Newswire/Gary Ramage

On Friday, he told 3AW the matter was not “ordinary”.

“These are not ordinary arrangements, and that’s why we’re seeking to have a full understanding of them,’’ Mr Morrison said.

Mr Porter maintains that he has “undertaken disclosure in accordance with the requirements of the register and consistent with previous members’ disclosure of circumstances where the costs of personal legal matters have been mitigated by contributions or reductions in fees”.

The Industry Minister faces legal bills in the range of $600,000 to $1 million after he launched and then discontinued a defamation case against the ABC over historical rape claims that he strongly denies. His accuser died by suicide last year just 24 hours after she rang police and told them she didn’t wish to proceed with a complaint.

In an interview on Friday, Melbourne radio broadcaster Neil Mitchell noted that if he took money as a broadcaster and it “went into my back pocket I would lose my job”.

“Surely, on the face of it, it looks indefensible does it not?’’ Mitchell said.

“I understand the point you’re making though Neil. That’s why I am taking it so seriously,’’ Mr Morrison responded.

Asked if he knew about the mystery benefactor before Mr Porter updated his register of interests on Tuesday, the Prime Minister revealed that Mr Porter “only recently” discovered the surprising news that he was the beneficiary of a blind trust of substantial value from an anonymous donor.