Former Attorney-General Christian Porter and his defamation barrister have been ordered to pay more than $430000 in legal fees to cover the costs of a friend of the woman who accused him of rape more than 30 years ago.
Jo Dyer, a friend of the woman who accused Mr Porter, successfully argued that there was a conflict of interest to stop Mr Porter’s barrister, Sue Chrysanthou from representing him on account of her raising issues relating to the case prior to her decision to represent him.
In March of 2021, under increasing scrutiny from the historical allegations, Mr Porter was forced to resign from the ministry and has since announced he will not be contesting his seat at the next Federal Election.