Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] On 30 April this year the ABC's 7.30 aired a special investigation containing a series of accusations from mildly annoyed critics who never did, said or acted at the time but years later accepted the invitation to join a pile-on at the same time the same national broadcaster was colluding with its employee to avoid deleting or apologising for a series of defamatory private tweets. At what point over five months does an honest mistake become a dishonest one? The tweet came after a 31 March investigation that explicitly ruled out what was being tweeted. At what point does a taxpayer-funded model litigant cease to be one?

This came to the fore in April when the ABC investigative reporter Lorna Knowles alleged I had asked grooming-like questions of a minor nearly 10 years ago—potentially criminal conduct punishable by imprisonment. However, Knowles was unwilling or unable to substantiate any of the accusations she put to me, saying simply—words to the effect—'I've obtained an at-length sit-down interview and I intend to broadcast it in full, followed by whatever you want to say.' It turns out my online exchange of just 42 words back in 2012 was utterly appropriate. I confirmed the profile's identity, encouraged them to comment, reminded them not to use rude words and concluded with 'got to go'. My question is whether Knowles had this exchange and ignored it or never had the wit to get it in the first place. But either way, her entire taxpayer-funded investigation was based on a fabrication and, just minutes before broadcast, was torpedoed when I provided the transcript.

But that is not the end of the story. Knowles recovered and cobbled together scuttlebutt interviews to fill the gap and these included a netball sideline squabble, two uncomfortable academics—including one so uncomfortable they immediately accepted a lift to their hotel after they got off the flight with me—me asking a 19-year-old if I could add them to Facebook and, finally, claiming this behaviour extended beyond Australia because an ALP campaign manager said so. But when her complaint was proven not to exist, she claimed it was 'only a phone call'.

This entire episode is an embarrassment and a stain on the national broadcaster founded on a presumption of guilt and an expensive refusal to apologise in a timely fashion. Ms Milligan should regard this as a taxpayer loan for her legal costs as one she must pay back and this must be done to the ABC. There's no law to prevent the actions of Knowles, of Milligan or of the ABC, but the taxpayer should never be forced to underwrite it. This taxpayer contribution is effectively a loan to Milligan and she should be made to pay it back to the ABC and to the taxpayer immediately.