Christian Porter slams ‘mob fury’ as he exits parliament

Former attorney-general Christian Porter used his final address to parliament to slam ‘culture wars’ and the ‘mob’ that came after him following reports of historic rape allegations.

Angus Taylor congratulates Christian Porter after his valedictory speech in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Picture: AAP

Former attorney-general Christian Porter used his final address to parliament to slam “culture wars” and the “mob” that came after him following reports of historic rape allegations against him.

Mr Porter announced his resignation late last year in the wake of fierce scrutiny on his private life – specifically the airing of allegations by the ABC that he had raped a woman in the late 1980s.

The West Australian MP, who was elected to seat of Pearce in 2013 after four years of state politics, told the House of Representatives on Tuesday that he wouldn’t wish what had happened to him on his “worst enemy”.

“You may think it’ll never happen to you,” he said in his valedictory speech. “People (were) so utterly convinced in their own judgment that they didn’t need anything else.

“People … would just cut through any law or abandon any process that might get between them and the target of their judgment. In that experience, I saw the real truth about how critical the protection of the rule of law is – and how fragile it is.”

Mr Porter, 51, singled out Defence Minister Peter Dutton and journalist Peter van Onselen for standing between him and “the mob”.

“Knowing the risks better than any two people could possibly know the risks, they stated plain public support for me while the mob was in its full fury,” he said.

“Those were acts of courage that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

He said in his time in politics, “free speech” and “due process” had been increasingly tossed aside, and it was critical that “every man and woman fight” for the protection of the rule of law.

Mr Porter noted GST changes to ensure a better deal for WA as one of the greatest achievements of his party while in government, and said the next big challenge for Australia would be one of national security, thanks to China’s rise.

“Under this government, that is a risk we’ve been doing our best to understand, to prepare for and mitigate against – sometimes visibly and loudly, sometimes quietly and securely,” he said.

“I leave this place having been part of a small but now very substantial group who’ve come to see the reality of this strategic risk, the immediacy, its peril and the menace that it offers.”

He urged the Labor Party, of which there were only three members present, to “evolve” in its approach to China and national security as the Coalition had, but paid respect to the late Labor senator Kimberley Kitching for her firmness on Beijing.