Christian Porter DROPS his defamation case against the ABC with no damages paid

Former attorney-general Christian Porter has dropped his defamation case against the ABC.

‘All parties have agreed to not pursue the matter any further. No damages will be paid,’ the broadcaster said in a statement.  

Mr Porter filed a case against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan in March, claiming he was the victim of a malicious ‘trial by media’ regarding allegations that he raped his 16-year-old female debating teammate in Sydney 1988, when he was 17.

Mr Porter was not named as the alleged rapist in the ABC report published on February 26, but outed himself as the senior minister accused of the crime in a tearful media conference before going on mental health leave.

His lawyers claimed ‘many Australians’ could have figured out the story was about him and challenged the ABC to prove the allegations are true in the Federal Court.

But after mediation, Mr Porter has decided to drop the case. 

He was not paid any settlement fee but the ABC has updated its article with an editors’ note expressing ‘regret’ that readers may have thought the minister was guilty.

The note reads: ‘On 26 February 2021, the ABC published an article by Louise Milligan. That article was about a letter to the Prime Minister containing allegations against a senior cabinet minister. Although he was not named, the article was about the Attorney-General Christian Porter.

‘The ABC did not intend to suggest that Mr Porter had committed the criminal offences alleged. 

‘The ABC did not contend that the serious accusations could be substantiated to the applicable legal standard – criminal or civil. 

‘However, both parties accept that some readers misinterpreted the article as an accusation of guilt against Mr Porter. That reading, which was not intended by the ABC, is regretted.’