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Byron Shire
March 29, 2024

Editorial – An innocent, honest man might say…

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‘I want a formal investigation into this allegation of rape against me, not just to clear my name, but because it is the wishes of the woman’s family and friends. Questions around what happened on that night in 1988 need to be answered.

It was wrong that NSW Police failed to speak to me on this matter before closing any investigation. I want everyone who was at the events interviewed extensively, and anyone with any knowledge to come forward so the public, and her family, can have confidence in ascertaining what happened. Transparency and accountability are crucial in the functioning of democracy.

And while I previously said that I had not read all the details sent to the government regarding this matter, I now realise that I was wrong to ignore such a significant accusation. It reflects poorly on the government, and on me, as the nation’s top lawmaker.

I also apologise for lying to the nation at my press conference that journalists hadn’t contacted me about these allegations.

In fact, my office did not reply to any questions put them.

Avoiding/ignoring the media to limit potential political damage is just one problem within modern political culture.

I will now seek to have all the ABC Four Corners story, much of which was censored around my personal life, made publicly available, so the public can judge for themselves what type of man I am.

The culture within politics must change.

For far too long, the political and bureaucratic elite have been protecting themselves through meaningless words such as “rule of law”’.

Meanwhile, the elites continue attack the vulnerable and less fortunate. While this has existed forever, it is time for change.

Such change can enable the less fortunate to have a voice, and a diversity of views can bring enormous benefits to a society.   

I apologise for being part of the government culture that aggressively pursued and persecuted Robo-debt victims without the presumption of innocence. It led to suicides, and many distressed individuals. 

I apologise for being part of the government culture that aggressively pursued and persecuted refugees, including children, fleeing from war-torn parts of the world. They have been denied the “rule of law” and the presumption of innocence.

It is wrong to hold secret trials for whistleblowers, particularly Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery. This was an effort to protect the government from embarrassment. In the case of Witness K, it was the protection of the financial interests of Woodside Petroleum.

I’m sorry for sacking independent legal experts from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and stacking it with Liberal Party hacks.

It is inconsistent with the rule of law for the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), a government agency, to conduct investigations into union members where they must attend and answer questions or face six months’ jail. 

It was also wrong of me to prevent the auditor general from making public key sections of a report that was critical of a $1.3 billion arms deal between the federal government and multinational weapons maker, Thales. 

I acknowledge that I have no track record with justice, and therefore am not a fit and proper person to hold the office of attorney general. As such, I resign immediately’.

Cartoon by Alister Lockheart www.alisterlockheart.com

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14 COMMENTS

  1. “An innocent, honest man” !
    …..And how likely is it that you would find one in politics, here or elsewhere ? It’s like Army Intelligence, community policing or
    Aged- care and even Australian Democracy and legal justice, state education and health care; noble ideas with which to conjure, all however are contradiction in terms, they just don’t exist in the real world of this ‘conservative’, dog eat dog, market driven madness.
    Cheers, G”)

  2. “I apologise for choosing the day that our own Australian of the Year, Grace Tame made her national address, dissecting our society’s attitude and complacency toward sexual violence against children. By choosing that day to proclaim my innocence , I effectively silenced her… with my own teary face dominating the news cycle and pushing her powerful speech to the bottom of the pile. “

  3. From what I heard today the line between women & ScoMo’s Gove. ‘Man of all seasons & reasons’
    the axe will fall as it must.

  4. What a load of shit !!
    This man has been accused of something
    He clearly has denied. Anyone can and has the right to make such accusations against
    Someone !! Guilty?? Well of couse he is according to that fucking linchmob the ABC
    Broke the story without notice . This Mans reputation is damaged!! has absolutely been
    Defamed by the ABC . with agendas lead by that rightous Ms Kelly . The sooner this far leftwing activist organization gets defunded
    The better .. how did this get past Management at the ABC ?? This has been
    Looked at by the the NSW police as per
    The law !! But not good enough for the ABC
    Gos beyond that says Radio National
    This is the court of public opinion.. since
    When has that been law ABC ??
    The washup of this will cost Taxpayer’s
    Millions again because of the ABCs
    Relentless push with Bias articles
    Programs etc against the Coalition..
    And for the record i do not condone any violence against women or Man or child
    And yes some Men behave appalling
    And i for one will call this out
    Every time .. you are innocent until proven guilty in this country thank God ..!!

    • As Australians, we have a right to know if and when politicians behaviours are called into question. We pay them to behave well and to represent the highest standards of social order. We have a right to know if and when they break that social contract with us. Clearly, Porter’s behaviour deserves public scrutiny. That’s a basic attribute of Australian democracy – public broadcasting, freedom of speech. The office of Attorney General must be filled by someone whose behaviour is unimpeachable, whose integrity cannot be compromised. It’s a very dangerous line of argument to suggest that we abolish the ABC in favour of a society that will only entertain news that favours those in power. The world revolves around an indifferent sun, not your emotional darkness Barrow. The “far left wing activist organisation” is a product of your imagination. Try taking a deep breath and considering that in fact other people will not always agree with you. That doesn’t mean they should therefore be silenced. That’s just un-Australian.

  5. A very good editorial…Thank you for setting it out so clearly…I cannot believe Morrison is trying to bully his way thru this ..clearly expecting Porter to return to
    his job of setting us all a very fine example of how to behave ..in his role as the exemplar of law. and order.Im sure Morrison and Marise Payne, who has not covered herself in glory either..are thanking the Gods that be..for giving them the crisis In PNG ,which takes the focus somewhere else for a while.

  6. Barrow – how did the Primed-up-Minister for this country make the decision to NOT READ
    the ‘information’ on what happened to the 16 year old & ‘the now’ Gov. General. Why won’t
    the PM inform himself so he knows how to deal with the rotten situation? There are copies
    of her statement held by police officials & members of parliament. Can’t ScoMo read? Will
    ScoMo finally find out what the ‘landslide’s all about because it’s common knowledge
    that the man in the middle – the woman’s ex & once upon a time a friend of the GJ is quite
    willing to take the stand since he’s already approached the GJ on several occasions
    regarding the matter. If the Gov.Gen. has nothing to hide why try & hide behind the PM?
    The ABC carried the information because they read what the PM won’t read. Take it to
    court/ get the facts/ find who’s innocent.

  7. nb; David Hurley is the Gov. General. Porter’s Attorney General & the PMs buddy. That’ll teach me
    to slow down on the keyboard.

  8. A couple of the latest updates. M. Johnson of the Berejikian Government has stepped down due
    to another one of ‘the boy’s’ mishaps while the rest of the Aussie planet awaits the Primed
    Minister’s decision on the what-to-do with his Attorney General. None of this is puppy love.

  9. Hi Lucy
    Valid points you raise ! Hence you can
    Obviously have those point of views and opinions in this country.. do or should i expect most to agree with my views ?
    Certainly not, however lucy if a taxpayer
    Funded organization such as the ABC wants to break worthy news, thats acceptable
    By most Australians, but in this instance it is not the case. In general the bias
    Against the Coalition government is out
    Of control …. under no circumstances should
    The ABC have agendas.
    One of the Charters of the ABC is impartiality lucy . So if the ABC wants to continue down this path, well do so at your
    Own expense not mine or other Taxpayer’s.
    It has been hijacked by activists presenters
    & reporters all out to get rid of the conservatives at any cost .. good luck with that . Because the Alternative opposition
    Are not in a position to challenge with
    a socialist at the helm .. so as for Mr Porter
    Until proven otherwise he is a innocent
    Man ..

  10. Barrow, you are entitled to your opinion, emotive and prejudiced though it is, but please consider that it is the Conservatives who are in Government. Naturally, the focus is on the Government. The ABC is just doing its job In investigating and commenting on the Government. When Labor were in Government the media focus, scrutiny and criticism was intense and unrelenting. I’m a Labor supporter and I found the criticism of Labor Governments often unfair and misplaced. The media bashing of Julia Gillard was horrendous and often misogynous. So just take what you see as left wing bias as part of being in Government and be thankful for it. We are most fortunate to have the ABC which is far from a left wing organisation.

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