World news – Justin Gleeson is believed to lead ABC’s defense in Christian Porter’s defamation lawsuit

Former Attorney General Justin Gleeson, who recently called on the Prime Minister for advice on whether Christian Porter could stay in office, will lead the ABC’s defense in a libel suit filed by the Attorney General.

He resigned after one Fierce argument with then Attorney General George Brandis after he claimed he had not been consulted by the government on important laws.

Christian Porter is suing public broadcaster and journalist Louise Milligan in federal court over a story about one anonymous letter to the Prime Minister attached to a 31-page dossier listing a historical rape allegation from 1988 against an incumbent cabinet minister.

The article did not mention the Attorney General as the subject of the complaint, but it did Mr Porter’s legal team claims he is easy to identify

He has vigorously denied the claim, arguing his lawyers that he was the subject of « media trial ».

Last week, Mr. Gleeson urged the Prime Minister to appoint his successor, Attorney General Stephen Donaghue QC, to consult whether Mr. Porter should remain Australia’s Chief Law Officer.

In an exclusive interview with ABC, Mr. Gleeson said Mr. Donaghue could have advised whether the government should conduct its own investigation into the allegation against the Attorney General.

The police did not investigate the complaint against Mr Porter because the woman who made the allegation informed the officers that she did not want the investigation to continue.

The New Police South Wales has since stated that there is insufficient admissible evidence to continue an investigation.

Mr Porter is still on mental health vacation and the Prime Minister has confirmed that his administration is seeking advice from the Attorney General on what steps to take to ensure that the Attorney General avoids conflicts of interest while the defamation lawsuit is ongoing .

Scott Morrison has previously said that Mr. Porter will not be involved in ministerial decisions regarding the ABC and federal court.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly denied calls for an independent investigation into the allegation, arguing that it is a violation of the rule of law.

Since stepping down from the role of Attorney General, Mr. Gleeson has worked as an attorney specializing in international and constitutional law.

Mr. Porter’s legal team is led by the high-profile attorney Bret Walker SC headed. Previously, he was Australia’s National Security Guard, the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor.

Mr. Walker is joined by defamation attorney Sue Chrysanthou SC, and reputation specialist Rebekah Giles as Mr. Porter’s attorney.

We recognize them Indigenous people of the Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islander as the first Australians and traditional administrators of the countries we live, learn and work in.

This service can collect material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP , CNN and the BBC World Service, which are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced.

AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time, 10 hours before GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)