George Pell case: Shelved writer Louise Milligan won’t back down

Louise Milligan, who authored a book on Cardinal George Pell, asked Twitter followers to ‘Hug your children’ when the High Court published its judgment.

ABC journalist Louise Milligan. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

ABC journalist Louise Milligan, who authored the book Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, asked her Twitter followers to “Hug your children” when the High Court published its judgment on Tuesday.

As an investigative journalist for 7.30, Milligan ran allegations of abuse by George Pell and won two Quill awards from the Melbourne Press Club, including the Gold Quill for best story of the year.

Milligan’s book was released in May 2017 by Melbourne Univer­sity Press and withdrawn from Victorian shelves a month later when Cardinal Pell was charged.

The book outlined the allegations from when Cardinal Pell was archbishop of Melbourne which were the subject of the High Court proceeding. Milligan was awarded the Walkley Book Award and the Sir Owen Dixon Chambers Law Reporter of the Year Award for Cardinal.

“Decent Australians will think with kindness today of vulnerable men who were brave,” Milligan tweeted on Tuesday. “They won’t forget. The others will do what they do — grooming of a child? ‘Hit on’. There’s ‘no Revelation’ in horrific story of abuse. Oral rape of a boy? ‘Plain vanilla sexual penetration’.”

The last phrase was said in sentencing submissions by Pell’s trial lawyer, Robert Richter QC.

Milligan also thanked Premier Daniel Andrews, who released a statement to abuse survivors: “I see you. I hear you. I believe you.”

An ABC spokesman said: “The ABC has – and will continue to – report accurately and without fear or favour on stories that are in the public interest, including this one,” We stand by our reporters and our stories.”