Jo Dyer threatens Christian Porter with legal action

A close friend of the woman who accused Christian Porter of rape has threatened to sue the former attorney-general for defamation.

Jo Dyer says Christian Porter has ‘twice impugned’ her ‘honesty and integrity’. Picture: Adam Yip

A close friend of the woman who accused Christian Porter of raping her three decades ago has threatened to sue the former attorney-general for defamation, a day after he discontinued his own lawsuit against the ABC.

Jo Dyer, who successfully stopped high-profile barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, from representing Mr Porter last week, said the former attorney-general had now “twice impugned” her “honesty and integrity”.

“This afternoon (Tuesday) Marque Lawyers sent a second Concerns Notice to Mr Porter in relation to his continuing defamatory comments of me,” Ms Dyer said.

“He should be on notice that if I launch legal proceedings, I tend to see them through to their conclusion.”

Christian Porter during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday. Picture: Martin Ollman

Ms Dyer was a close friend of a woman, known as Kate, who alleged she had been raped by Mr Porter in 1988 when she was 16 and Mr Porter was 17. Kate died by suicide in June last year.

She launched urgent Federal Court action last month in an effort to restrain Ms Chrysanthou from acting for Mr Porter because of information she provided to the barrister while she was advising Ms Dyer on another matter.

Federal Court judge Tom Thawley ruled last week that Ms Chrysanthou could not act for Mr Porter because she had access to confidential information relevant to the defamation case and there was a risk of her misusing it.

On Tuesday, Ms Dyer said Mr Porter had implied in a statement on May 12 that she had commenced legal proceedings against Ms Chrysanthou as part of an “improper last-minute legal strategy to disrupt his now discontinued action against” the ABC and its journalist Louise Milligan.

Sue Chrysanthou. Picture: Adam Yip

Ms Dyer also objected to allegations by Mr Porter that she had “destroyed important communications” related to the now industry minister’s defamation case against the ABC. Mr Porter dropped the case on Monday.

“Mr Porter alleged that, after ‘coaching’ from Ms Milligan, I had destroyed important communications that may have had a bearing on his now discontinued action against Ms Milligan and the ABC. This is absurd,” she said.

“There was nothing improper, illegal or sinister in my decisions to save or delete certain messages, decisions that were taken well before Mr Porter launched his now discontinued action against Ms Milligan and the ABC.”

She said the now industry minister had “denied himself” the opportunity to give evidence refuting Kate’s allegations “on oath” by discontinuing his action against the ABC.

“The allegations Kate made against the former attorney-general remain completely untested,” Ms Dyer said. “Until they have been investigated, it is untenable for Mr Porter to remain in cabinet.”

Mr Porter, now Industry Minister, said he would recontest his seat at the next election and remain in cabinet following the settlement on Monday.

Mr Porter — who launched the lawsuit in March, claiming the ABC had published false allegations and was motivated by malice — said the settlement was a “humiliating backdown for the ABC”.