Christian Porter’s valedictory speech: ‘Don’t think it can’t happen to you’

Former Attorney-General uses valedictory speech to slam identity politics, address the rape allegations that ended his career and what he’ll do next.

Liberal member for Pearce Christian Porter is congratulated by Angus Taylor after delivering his valedictory speech in the House of Representatives.

Christian Porter has used his valedictory speech to parliament to warn of the damage of identity politics on Australian values, and addressing the sexual assault allegations that ended his political career.

“You may think it’ll never happen to you,” the former Attorney-General and Member for Pearce warned MP’s in the House of Representatives, referring to coming under legal scrutiny, adding that “we need to protect our laws from being cut down.”

“Some people will join the mob, others will slink away,” he said.

“Just a word of advice — that is always a mistake.”

Mr Porter was accused of sexual assault in the 1980s by a woman who died in 2020. He has strenuously denied the claims.

Mr Porter made special mention of journalist Peter van Onselen and Defence Minister Peter Dutton, thanking them for their public support “while the mob was in its full fury.”

“Very few people ever try to stand in the way of a mob. I watched friends put themselves between me and the mob,” he said.

Christian Porter addresses the House for the final time.

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

Mr Porter said he would be returning to working in the field of law, expressing his desire to spend more time with his family.

“What I do next will be 100% for them. I’m returning to them and returning to the law,” he said.

On the culture wars, Mr Porter warned Australia was “falling into (a) cycle … where we’re increasingly preoccupied with identity politics of every imaginable boutique type.”

“At worst there has become this regularisation of the abandonment … of fundamental western principles,” Mr Porter said

“Free speech, due process, free association … they just get tossed aside, sometimes in this place.”

“We need to stand up day by day for the fundamental values that have made us a strong country.”

Mr Porter noted that Europe, which had previously grappled with their own culture wars, was now in the grips of a real conflict.

“The weakness of European democracies has been an undeniable problem,” he said.