Scott Morrison’s office raised “serious concerns” with Bowman MP Andrew Laming after a staffer posted a photo dressed as US teen Kyle Rittenhouse to social media.
The LNP backbencher previously expressed “regret and deep apologies” for any hurt his behaviour may have caused but now claims the accusations against him were fabricated.
David Anderson told a Senate hearing the ABC agreed to pay journalist Louise Milligan’s legal costs when she was sued by Andrew Laming because it feared costs blowing out to $700,000.
The Auditor-General was looking into whether it was appropriate for the ABC to pay $79,000 damages plus legal costs to MP Andrew Laming to settle a defamation case.
The Liberal MP argues the broadcaster wrongly suggested he took a photo up a woman’s skirt,damaging his reputation and leading to a police investigation.
Retiring Liberal MP Andrew Laming warns that vaccine certificates risk taking the decision-making process away from health experts and placing them in the hands of “virtue-signalling baristas”.
Milligan’s employer,the ABC,was not sued over the defamatory tweets but is expected to pick up the bill.
Federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming will be replaced by Henry Pike after he was preselected as the sole male candidate to contest the Queensland seat of Bowman.
Dr Laming has threatened defamation action against at least 10 journalists and politicians over their comments about his decision to photograph a woman restocking a fridge.
Queensland senator Amanda Stoker has thrown her support behind Henry Pike in the race to replace outgoing Liberal-National MP Andrew Laming for the seat of Bowman.
The embattled MP rejected Labor’s claim he had a “long history of trolling” constituents online and the Coalition voted to retain him as a parliamentary committee chair.