THREAD: Today this incredible woman was laid to rest. Eileen Piper was one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. When I met her 8 years ago to interview her for 7.30, she was 92 and trying to get justice for her daughter Stephanie, who was abused by a paedophile priest...

...in the 1970s & suicided in 1994 after going to police. The Church didn't believe Stephanie, accusing her of making it up. Her abuser was convicted of other offences. Eileen fought to be heard for decades, finally getting an apology from Archbishop Comensoli in 2020..

BREAKING our @4corners: Matt wants every parent of a Scout to hear his story. Matt’s convicted abuser is alive, in jail, will give evidence to say Scouts NSW should have done more to stop him. Scouts had Matt’s case shut down. Matt ordered to pay costs. 1

abc.net.au/news/2023-05-2… 2/ Five years on from the historic child abuse Royal Commission, we investigate legal tactics institutions employ. In Miimi’s case, 40 Aboriginal complainants had priest charged with abusing them. He died before trial. Now diocese attempting to shut down Miimi’s civil case.

THREAD: 1. Reminded today of another requiem mass back in 1996: the funeral of serial paedophile priest Nazareno Fasciale, attended by the late George #Pell six weeks after Fasciale was charged by police for multiple counts of gross indecency & indecent assault of four children. 2. #Pell was soon to become Archbishop of Melbourne. 3 years before, he was on the church’s Personnel Advisory Board which, knowing Fasciale’s crimes, allowed him to retire for “ill heath & stress”. The child abuse Royal Commission found Pell knew real reason Fasciale retired.

This offensive garbage was sent to federal parliamentarians. Please let me know, MPs/Senators, if you have received same.
1. I’ve never had an abortion.
2. It no one’s business if I had.
3. I’m not writing a book about abortion.
4. Whoever did this is truly vile. 😞 The Australian recently printed lies about me (& has many times, over 6 years). A Senator repeated those lies in parliament. The bullying of women by so-called “legitimate” media platforms encourages psychopaths like this person. It has to stop.

More inaccurate misinformation by The Australian. The ACT Bar Association President quoted approached me, introduced herself as “Bec”, thanked me for my speech, was very friendly, spoke for ages and asked me to contact her about story collaboration. This situation is chilling. 2. She showed no sign of concern about “insensitivity”, wanted to work together. The Australian misquotes me as saying “all barristers who acted for defendants in sexual ­assault matters are ‘part of the problem’.” I did NOT say that & told The Australian. They didn’t run denial.

THREAD on (typical) misinformation by The Australian: 1. Recently, I delivered a speech to Women Lawyers ACT on my book, Witness. I was publicly congratulated by ACT Supreme Court Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson, the Women Lawyers ACT President & the Victims of Crime Commissioner 2. Afterwards, other women (& men) thanked me profusely for the speech. @erosenman - CEO of ACT Women’s Legal Centre, wrote: “It was such an important and timely address and I know a lot of the women felt really seen by the WLA’s choice of speaker and Louise Milligan’s comments.”

THREAD: This Thursday, June 24, people will light #ACandleforKate. June 24 marks 1 year since a woman called me about sexism in Canberra. She was scared of consequences of speaking out. Neither of us knew of Kate. Neither of us knew that that morning, Kate took her own life. 1/ 2/ The woman urged me to investigate the problems of sexism in Canberra. I began to make calls and the next day, those calls led me to Kate’s lawyer. He felt sure that Kate would want a meeting with me and said he’d speak to her that night. Neither of us knew that Kate was gone.

THREAD: 1. Following is a letter sent to @australian from a real friend of the Cabinet Minister complainant - a man who knew her for decades, not months. And, incidentally, a lifelong Liberal. I’ve been inundated with messages from her old friends, horrified in the way he is. 2. “I was shown a copy of your attack piece on the ABC for apparently ignoring the wishes of the family of a woman who died and made allegations against a cabinet minister. I have to say, this was one of the worst hatchet jobs I've seen in journalism in a LONG time...

THREAD: 1. Here’s a message I received from another another Liberal staffer this morning, tweeted & anonymised with her permission: I am a former LNP ministerial staffer...culture is rife and accepted as an every day occurrence. And there is no recourse to have it dealt with... 2....because your job is constantly threatened & so is any future job you might want. There is also no proper oversight body & I know first hand if you try & raise any issues they will not be dealt with; but you sure will be. I think the current review...

#Auspol THREAD: Just saw Brittany Higgins’ extraordinary interview w @Lisa_Wilkinson. Wanted to put some things on the record. 1. Of the many women politicians we called for @4Corners Inside the Canberra Bubble, only one who refused to speak & hung up phone was Linda Reynolds. 2. This was a surprise, because in the internal correspondence we had between Coalition Women on WhatsApp, Ms Reynolds was one of the most vocal in defending women’s rights in the party, &, to be frank, in decrying the sexist attitudes of some of her male colleagues in the party.

This is welcome, @tweetinjules. I can’t tell you how hard it was obtaining conviction against Pell defender who repeatedly threatened to kill me. When it went to court first time, cops didn’t bother to inform me of date or the outcome. He was emboldened. heraldsun.com.au/news/national/… So it started again. For the second time, repeatedly breaching his AVO, “I will find you”, referencing NZ mosque killer, threatening to cause an incident, contacting my friends. Despite all the help I got & the privilege I have, there was no sense of urgency from police.

1. Questions from @4corners for @AlanTudgeMP, given the Commonwealth Attorney-General is denying events at Public Bar witnessed by multiple people, including Rachelle Miller, a senior journalist, a public servant & at least three other Lib staffers (one made a file note): 2. Why did you pressure the journalist to delete the photograph of Mr Porter and the young female staffer?

5. I have spent the past year or so talking to barristers for my book Witness. Gender equity is a disaster at the Bar. This needs to change. It is part of the reason, I believe, why female complainants still get a hard time, still get bullied by old white barristers. 6. PS: I learned all of this from other strong women barristers. They are fuming. Haven’t heard it from Kathleen.

THREAD. 1. An Attorney-General should tell the truth. Bottom line. Did he here? Is the Attorney denying any of the behaviour witnessed by multiple professionals in the employ of the Liberal Party who witnessed his behaviour that night?

https://twitter.com/tommcilroy/status/1325769858403893249

We gave the Attorney TWO WEEKS. That’s right, journalistic colleagues who give politicians hours. He provided nothing. His staffer kept telling us he couldn’t possibly put this to the Attorney. A matter for him.

THREAD: List of Royal Comm (unredacted) findings re #Pell:
1. Ballarat Bishop Mulkearns did not lie to his consultors, including Pell, re true reason for shifting paedophile Fr Ridsdale from parish to parish.
2. 'Inconceivable' Mulkearns deceived Pell et al. (Rejects Pell alibi) 3. "We are satisfied...Mulkearns told the consultors it was necessary to move Ridsdale...bc of complaints that he had sexually abused children. A contrary position is not tenable."
4. Conduct of any consultor (Pell) who knew & didn't advise against moving Ridsdale 'unacceptable'.

THREAD: Pell & bunkum ABC conspiracy: 1. Dec 2015: Royal Commission prepares for #Pell to fly from Rome & give evidence. 2. December 2: @VictoriaPolice issues warrants for raids @ St Patrick’s Cathedral & St Kevin’s, re alleged offences vs teenage choirboys. Reported in @theage. 3. December 11: Pell’s lawyer tells Royal Commission he’s too ill to fly & wants to give evidence from Rome via video link. Furore. I much later discover sick note written by doctor who advises the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of medical miracles, ergo person is saint.

1. When in the course of my journalism, there are allegations about anyone, I have the ethics to pick up the phone & ask questions. If the subject does not wish to converse with me, I send the questions in writing. I give them plenty of notice. 2. Yet again, from a former colleague at the national broadsheet, a newspaper I was once proud to write for & where they loved my work, they write factually incorrect, defamatory nonsense without giving basic courtesy. Journalism 101. I learned it as a cadet there. Get comment.

THREAD: 1. Man refuses interview with journalist fairly putting claims to him or to answer questions. Man’s lawyers instruct journalist to destroy their own letters to her. Journalist gobsmacked at that one. Journalist doesn’t destroy letters. Man charged by police. 2. Man says he’s returning to clear good name. Man then exercises legal right to remain silent. Wealthy backers stump up for QC. QC barbecues man’s accuser. Man stays schtum. Accuser convinces jury. High Court deems jury must be irrational. Cheerleader granted audience with man.

#Auspol #Pell THREAD: 1. 2017, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse delivered final report. Following are its findings re Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, who moved serial paedophile priest Ridsdale from parish to parish, to abuse 100s of children. 2. George #Pell was a consultor to Bishop Mulkearns - one of inner circle of priests whom the Bishop consulted on priestly appointments and movements. No-one, including Pell, argued Mulkearns didn't know about what Ridsdale was doing. There is enormous evidence to support that.

THREAD: Thinking about #StKevins business. About way they & other #Catholic schools handled #Pell. Or same-sex marriage. Or @BishopComensoli re risking jail to avoid reporting hearing of child abuse in confessional. Thinking about all parents/staff/alumni of schools... who contact me privately to express to express deep dismay. I want to say this to those parents/staff/alumni/students: Only way for likes of these schools, @BishopComensoli & @AnthonyFisherOP to hear all the disquiet you so desperately feel is to make yourselves publicly heard.

Here’s something I missed on my first pass of #Pell judgment: Defence tried to argue Court of Appeal should not see video of J’s evidence (that is, what jury saw). I think that’s extraordinarily telling: The defence didn’t want them to see what jury had: that he was believable. And of course, this came from a pricey defence team whose client exercised his (legal) right not to give evidence at trial.