Speaking at a news conference in Perth on Wednesday, Porter strongly denied the allegations made against him. “None of the allegations that have been printed have ever happened. Even now, the only information I have about the allegations is what is circulating online,” he said.
During the press conference, Porter answered reporters’ questions about the details of the accusation by saying that “it just didn’t happen.”
Porter said he would not remain as attorney general, but would take “a short vacation.”
“If I retire from my position … because of an accusation about something that just didn’t happen, then anyone in Australia can lose their career, their job, their life’s work, based on nothing more than an accusation, “he said. said.
The allegations came after the alleged victim’s statements were sent anonymously to the prime minister’s office and to two women politicians from opposition parties, the Labor and Green Parties, in the past week.
Green Party senator Sarah Hanson Young, who was sent a copy of the statement, told CNN that she accused the minister of raping the woman when she was 16 years old. The alleged victim died at the age of 49 in June 2020.
CNN did not see the statement and could not independently verify its content.
The allegations have led to calls by women’s supporters and opposition politicians for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ask the minister to step aside and for an independent investigation into the allegations.
“We can’t have a situation where just making an accusation and publishing it in the media is a reason why, you know, governments simply stop people on their basis,” Morrison said. “We have a rule of law in this country.”
The historic allegations came less than two weeks after a former ruling Liberal Party staff member came forward to claim that she had been raped by a colleague in 2019 in the House of Parliament.
Speaking in February, Prime Minister Morrison apologized to Higgins and promised an investigation into the alleged rape.