Barnaby backs Porter for return to frontbench
JUST a day after he sensationally resigned from the frontbench over concerns about a blind trust, supporters of embattled MP Christian Porter are already lining up to pave the way for his return.
The former Attorney-general and Industry Minister on Sunday resigned after it was revealed he accepted an anonymous donation through a blind trust to pay for his legal action in a now discontinued case against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on Monday said while Mr Porter did the right thing by stepping back, the Pearce MP would be back on the frontbench.
“He has, like so many of us, gone to the corridor of the nearly dead,” he told Seven’s Sunrise. “I'll put money that we’ll see him back again.”
Employment Minister Stuart Robert also stood behind Mr Porter on the Today Show.
Labor has indicated it could refer the matter to the privileges committee of parliament.
Mr Porter said he was confident his disclosures to parliament complied with the rules, but ultimately he did not want to breach the trust of his donors.
“They contributed to a trust on the basis of confidentiality,” he said.