Moment for truth

PRESSING ISSUE

Note: This story discusses sexual assault and suicide.

The cabinet minister at the centre of rape allegations is expected to address the Australian public this morning, with the ABC reporting that government sources indicate he will front a press conference, deny the allegations, and not step down from his position.

The man has reportedly sought legal advice from defamation lawyer Peter Bartlett, a partner at MinterEllison, while the Morrison government apparently hopes this morning’s statement “will mark the end of the matter”.

The news comes after NSW police declared their examination of the claim “closed” on the basis that, after the woman’s death last year, there was “insufficient admissible evidence” to proceed, while news.com.au reports that a photo has emerged of the alleged victim and minister on the night of the claimed incident.

Malcolm Turnbull had earlier in the day called for the man to identify himself, while Barnaby Joyce has added his voice to calls for an independent investigation.

PS: In state news, an Equal Opportunity Commission review has found eight people reported sexual harassment by South Australian MPs or their staff in the past five years. The Sydney Morning Herald also reports that the NSW Liberal Party has adopted a mandatory Code of Conduct and Ethics that targets harassment and includes a pledge, not yet codified in the party’s constitution, to establish an autonomous Conduct Review Committee for complaints.

1800 Respect: 1800 737 732; Lifeline: 13 11 14.

MEANWHILE, IN RACISM NEWS

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a new Lowy Institute report finds that a whopping one in five Chinese-Australians report being physically threatened or attacked because of their heritage over the past year, with most blaming the global pandemic and the breakdown in relations between Australia and China.

In other racism news, The New Daily reports that British neo-Nazi group Sonnenkrieg Division will become the first right-wing group to be formally listed as a terrorist organisation.

Elsewhere, SBS investigates how a neo-Nazi was able to use Telegram to gain thousands of followers after uploading a video of himself punching a black security guard at Channel Nine. The assault, which led to two arrests, occurred ahead of the airing of a segment by A Current Affair, into “homegrown extremists”.

OPEN AND SHUT

The Victorian government has extended its state of emergency until December, The Age reports, after crossbenchers agreed to a new bill in return for reduced lockdown penalties for children and a new fines review officer for appeals.

Meanwhile, the Morrison government has extended the international border ban until June, citing the emergence of more transmissible COVID-19 variants — a move that leaves at least 40,000 Australians stranded amid quarantine caps.

LIBERAL MEDIA

Finally, in terrific news for media diversity, The Australian ($) reports that chairman of Nine Entertainment and former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello has assumed a greater role in the day-to-day running of the media giant amid a deepening split between directors aligned with competing broadcasting and print divisions.

Outgoing chief executive Hugh Marks has reportedly been absent from the past week’s investor meetings ahead of his resignation in November and has left key negotiations with Google and Facebook to Costello and Chris Janz, who runs publishing.

Separately, Nine sources point to the speed at which an independent investigation was established into deputy chairman and former Fairfax chairman Nick Falloon — who The Sydney Morning Herald revealed has been accused of allowing his son to use a corporate membership at a prestigious Sydney golf club — relative to Costello’s reluctance to examine Marks’ conduct after he disclosed a personal relationship with former senior executive Alexi Baker.