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2 more attempts to launch Porter inquiry shut down
Two ministers have now failed to introduce a bill to Parliament that would investigate if former attorney-general Christian Porter is a fit and proper person to continue in his role as a senior minister following alleged rape claims disclosed earlier this year.
Naomi Neilson
Almost a week after Greens’ senator Larissa Waters first introduced the bill, senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie indicated on Twitter that she would also attempt to raise the motion in the Senate but was ultimately struck down by One Nation. Pauline Hanson’s party was also responsible for blocking Ms Waters’ first efforts.
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Prior to the block, Ms Lambie said “unlike the other shots at setting up the inquiry”, her attempt was “constitutional, it’s funded, it doesn’t trample on the separation of powers, it’s got terms of reference it can actually answer, and it’s able to pass and get moving”. The unsuccessful vote ended up deadlocked at 26-26.
Despite having much of the same intentions with the bill as Ms Waters, Ms Lambie blocked her first attempt at the bill and again on Wednesday after her own was rejected. Many took to Twitter to call out Ms Lambie’s failure to support Ms Waters.
In a series of tweets, Ms Waters indicated she would keep attempting to introduce the bill “every day… for as long as it takes”. After losing on Wednesday, Ms Waters said that more people had joined “the protection racket for the Cabinet boys club”.
She also wrote that the president of the Senate had warned he will deny Ms Waters leave in future from continuing to reintroduce the motion, but she would not stop.
Renewed calls for the inquiry began again after Christian Porter and the ABC settled his defamation proceedings in mediation. Mr Porter has denied the allegations and told reporters “the things that were alleged to have happened just didn’t happen”.
Mr Porter’s legal team will return to court on 12 July to hear if three redacted sections from the ABC’s reply and his defence would be made available to the public. Mr Porter has sought to have them permanently removed from the court file.
