Rape accuser told counsellor

THE woman at the centre of the Christian Porter rape allegation from 1988 allegedly spoke in detail about her claim to a sexual assault counsellor eight years ago.

The revelations were expected to add to pressure on the Attorney-General to step down while the claims are interrogated as part of an independent inquiry called for by the woman’s family, friends and the federal opposition.

Mr Porter has denied the allegations and taken mental health leave.

The counsellor has told the ABC they believed it was the first time the woman had made the disclosure, describing an allegation against a boy called “Christian” the woman knew at the time through high school debating.

The counsellor also claimed the woman was “extremely articulate” and “not delusional”.

The woman took her own life in June after deciding not to proceed with a police statement, but her allegations were made public by friends who sent a dossier to journalists and MPs, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Calls for an independent inquiry have intensified after NSW police publicly stated they would not investigate the matter further due to a lack of admissible evidence.

The woman’s family have supported an inquiry into the circumstances of her death, and the government has indicated its support for an inquest, which is being considered by the South Australian Coroner.

Minister for Women Marise Payne defended the government’s actions, rebuffing claims the allegations were being ignored.

“Issues that have been raised … have resulted in an independent review of Parliament House as a workplace,” she said. “They have resulted in a very broad national discussion about the treatment of women in the workplace … and I don’t think we can say that they are being ignored.”

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has broken ranks with his Coalition colleagues, backing an independent inquiry to stop the allegations hanging “like a fog” over Mr Porter’s “remarkable career”.

The Morrison government has also been under pressure over the future of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who is on sick leave.

She apologised last week for calling former staffer Brittany Higgins a “lying cow”, after she made public claims she was raped in the then-defence industry minister’s office in 2019.

Australian of the Year Grace Tame said one of the biggest problems for sexual abuse victims was each state and territory having its own definition of consent.

“You can’t be a little bit pregnant as we know, you can’t be a little bit dead and you can’t be a little bit consenting. They’re yes or no.”

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