Accused minister to identify himself as police close rape case

The Morrison government minister accused of raping a woman when he was a teenager will today publicly declare his innocence.

The Australian understands the minister had consulted with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and cabinet colleagues but the decision to identify himself was left to him. Picture: Getty Images

The Morrison government minister accused of raping a woman when he was a teenager will on Wednesday publicly declare his innocence for the first time after police investigating the matter said it was “now closed”.

With Scott Morrison under ­unrelenting pressure to take ­action against him, the minister plans to make a public statement. He has sought legal advice following days of claims and after former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said everybody knew who he was.

NSW Police begun investigating the allegations after the woman came forward in 2019 but suspended inquiries — known as Strike Force Wyndarra — at her request. She died shortly after.

“Following the woman’s death, NSW Police came into possession of a personal document purportedly made by the woman previously,” NSW Police said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement said police had sought legal advice in relation to the matter. “Based on information provided to NSW Police, there is ­insufficient admissible evidence to proceed. As such, NSW Police Force has determined the matter is now closed,” the statement reads.

The Australian Federal Police have also said they will not pursue the claims because they do not fall in their jurisdiction.

Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: AAP

However, the woman’s ­unsigned police statement which contains graphic details of the ­alleged rape has circulated widely in recent days, along with a separate anonymous letter written by her friends outlining her claims.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has threatened to name the man under parliamentary privilege, while his name has been broadly publicised online.

Mr Turnbull on Tuesday called for a coronial inquiry into the woman’s death and said there remained questions around the circumstances of her suicide.

“I have a question mark in my own mind about the timing of it because it seems counterintuitive,” Mr Turnbull told the ABC.

He said the woman took her life in the same week as former High Court judge Dyson Heydon’s misconduct was publicly exposed. Mr Heydon has denied wrongdoing. “Why did she suicide? Why did she pursue this complaint for so long and then just a moment when you think should be encouraged, take her own life?” Mr Turnbull said. “You think those would be circumstances in which she would be encouraged in the prospect of her complaint being taken ­seriously.”

The Australian understands the minister had consulted with cabinet colleagues and with the Prime Minister ahead of his statement but the decision to identify himself was left to him to make.

Dhanya Mani. Picture: Adam Yip

He spent Tuesday working from home and sources familiar with the situation said he was considering noting “holes in the case” put forward by the late woman’s friends in the anonymous letter.

Friends of the woman, who they describe as fiercely intelligent, witty and charming, have told The Australian she was determined to seek justice and had started contacting lawyers and politicians asking for assistance.

But former Liberal adviser Dhanya Mani, who was friends with the woman, said her friend’s grieving parents wrote to the ABC specifically asking them not to proceed with publishing details of their daughter’s claims.

The case became public after the ABC published a story last Friday evening. Senator Hanson-Young and Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong made public statements that they had referred the case to police after receiving the letter.

The lawyers who had represented the dead woman say the Prime Minister should ask for a ­judicial inquiry into the matter, while Labor leader Anthony Albanese stopped short of calling for the minister to be sacked.

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten made a similar public statement in August 2014 after Victoria Police closed an investigation into historical rape allegations.

Bill Shorten. Picture: Gary Ramage

Government sources said Mr Shorten did not have to stand down as leader when the investigation was afoot and there was no independent probe into the ­allegation after police inquiries concluded. The government has been ­engulfed by rape and sexual harassment allegations for more than two weeks after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins said she was raped by a colleague in then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds’ office in March 2019.

Ms Higgins’ allegation prompted three other women to accuse the same alleged perpetrator of sexually assaulting or harassing them. Questions remain about who in the government knew about the incident before it was made public.

Senator Reynolds, now the Defence Minister, was hospitalised last week because of medical issues relating to a heart complaint and is not expected to return to work until Monday.

Mr Morrison has said the minister at the centre of the historical rape allegations categorically denied the claims when he raised them with him last Wednesday, days before they were made public. He said he had not known of the substance of the allegations until that time, although he had heard “rumours” last year.

Sarah Hanson-Young. Picture: Sean Davey.

The woman, according to the police statement and letter, ­alleged the minister had raped her in 1988 during an event in Sydney. She had collected extensive materials in recent years to support her allegations including diaries and journals.

The woman had been in contact with Senator Wong and Mr Turnbull, who told an event in Adelaide this week that he had told her: “You’ve got a lawyer, you’re seeing the police, that’s the right thing to do.”

Mr Turnbull said he had referred the woman’s letter to South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens after finding out she had died.

The woman lived in South Australia, where any coronial inquest would take place.

Senator Wong said she had referred the woman to rape support services in November 2019.

Mr Albanese and Senator Wong have said Mr Morrison should “do more” to resolve the matter and not allow it to “drift”.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ADESHOLA ORE

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14

Penny Wong referred the case to police after receiving a letter detailing the alleged incident. Picture: Gary Ramage