Australian cabinet minister wins case in which he was branded a ‘rape apologist’
Peter Dutton’s lawsuit against activist Shane Bazzi was over a tweet about the minister’s handling of a complaint about sexual assault inside parliament house
24 November 2021 - 10:25
byByron Kaye
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Sydney — Australia’s defence minister won a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against a refugee advocate who described him as a “rape apologist” in a tweet, a small advance in the conservative government’s effort to curb damaging commentary on social media.
Peter Dutton, an outspoken cabinet minister, experienced “hurt and distress” when shown the February 25 Twitter post by a staff member, although his public profile would have meant most people viewed it as opinion rather than a fact, a federal court judge ruled.
The legislator was awarded A$35,000 ($25,000) in damages, a fraction of the maximum amount possible, after the judge found that Dutton had been defamed but his day-to-day life was not affected by the now-deleted tweet.
The ruling marks another milestone in a campaign by the government to rein in what it has called a “coward’s palace” of vindictive shared on social media. Earlier in 2021, former attorney-general Christian Porter settled a defamation action against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation over Twitter posts about a historic rape allegation that he denied.
Dutton’s lawsuit against activist Shane Bazzi was over a midnight tweet on a day when the politician, who was then immigration minister, defended in media appearances his handling of a complaint about sexual assault inside parliament house.
Bazzi tweeted a link to a 2019 article in which Dutton suggested some refugees claiming to be rape victims were “trying it on” to be allowed into Australia, coupled with the sentence “Peter Dutton is a rape apologist.”
Dutton was accustomed to the “rough-and-tumble of politics” but “deeply offended by the tweet”, noting that Bazzi’s account had a blue tick, indicating that he was a verified user, said judge Richard White in his published ruling.
The “description of Mr Dutton as a person who excuses rape was no doubt a serious defamation” but “he did not claim to have suffered more serious consequences by reason of the publication of the Tweet or even that his hurt and distress had continued to the date of trial”, the judge added.
A representative for Dutton was not immediately available for comment. Bazzi said in a tweet that was he “very disappointed with the outcome” and would consider his options.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Australian cabinet minister wins case in which he was branded a ‘rape apologist’
Peter Dutton’s lawsuit against activist Shane Bazzi was over a tweet about the minister’s handling of a complaint about sexual assault inside parliament house
Sydney — Australia’s defence minister won a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against a refugee advocate who described him as a “rape apologist” in a tweet, a small advance in the conservative government’s effort to curb damaging commentary on social media.
Peter Dutton, an outspoken cabinet minister, experienced “hurt and distress” when shown the February 25 Twitter post by a staff member, although his public profile would have meant most people viewed it as opinion rather than a fact, a federal court judge ruled.
The legislator was awarded A$35,000 ($25,000) in damages, a fraction of the maximum amount possible, after the judge found that Dutton had been defamed but his day-to-day life was not affected by the now-deleted tweet.
The ruling marks another milestone in a campaign by the government to rein in what it has called a “coward’s palace” of vindictive shared on social media. Earlier in 2021, former attorney-general Christian Porter settled a defamation action against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation over Twitter posts about a historic rape allegation that he denied.
Dutton’s lawsuit against activist Shane Bazzi was over a midnight tweet on a day when the politician, who was then immigration minister, defended in media appearances his handling of a complaint about sexual assault inside parliament house.
Bazzi tweeted a link to a 2019 article in which Dutton suggested some refugees claiming to be rape victims were “trying it on” to be allowed into Australia, coupled with the sentence “Peter Dutton is a rape apologist.”
Dutton was accustomed to the “rough-and-tumble of politics” but “deeply offended by the tweet”, noting that Bazzi’s account had a blue tick, indicating that he was a verified user, said judge Richard White in his published ruling.
The “description of Mr Dutton as a person who excuses rape was no doubt a serious defamation” but “he did not claim to have suffered more serious consequences by reason of the publication of the Tweet or even that his hurt and distress had continued to the date of trial”, the judge added.
A representative for Dutton was not immediately available for comment. Bazzi said in a tweet that was he “very disappointed with the outcome” and would consider his options.
Reuters
Afghans marry off their baby girls as starvation looms
New crime stats show SA remains a very violent country
Women in Amhara raped by Tigray soldiers, says Amnesty
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
LETTER: The idea of different degrees of rape is nonsense
HILARY JOFFE: A #MeToo conversation corporate SA is still passing up
BEN WINKS: SA law needs an overhaul to protect rape survivors
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.