| Notes |
In late February 2021, Australian media reported an alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1988. It alleged that the male offender was now (in 2021) a federal cabinet minister. She had written a long statement for her solicitor in 2019, and had contacted several politicians and police. She died by suicide in 2020 and her statement was sent anonymously in February 2021 to the prime minister and several other members of parliament.[50][51][52] On 2 March 2021 the police announced there was "insufficient admissible evidence" to secure a prosecution.[53] Porter announced on 3 March 2021 that he was the person named in the allegations.[54] He confirmed he met the woman in Sydney when he was 17, but denied the accusation and any sexual contact with her. He also announced he would take immediate leave to look after his mental health following the accusations.[53][55][56]
On 15 March 2021, Porter launched a defamation claim against the ABC and reporter Louise Milligan, for publishing the allegation. His claim argued that although the original allegation did not name him, he was "readily identifiable" and that the article was intended to harm him.[57] The claim was withdrawn on 31 May 2021, with the ABC paying the costs of mediation and appending an editor's note to the original article stating that "The ABC did not contend that the serious accusations could be substantiated to the applicable legal standard". However, no damages were awarded.[58] On 24 June 2021, the original dossier detailing the rape allegation against Porter was made publicly available by the Federal Court of Australia. |