Again, not a Christian Porter fan, but what happened to him was so wrong. Like, there is virtually no evidence beyond hearsay - the alleged victim herself isnt even around to confirm the allegation.
It really bothers me all the commentary around sexual assault and how women "must" be believed. Like nowadays, anyone can claim rape and that virtually destroys a person's reputation. The worst part is people want the laws changed to make it easier to convict people for rape and I definitely dont support this at all. As Ive said in this thread before, the proper administration of justice trumps all and we have an innocent until proven guilty legal system. If a woman claims rape and a man denies it and there is no evidence of a crime beyond her testimony, then unfortunately that isnt enough to convict and jail someone. It isnt about people not believing the victim, belief and proof are two different things.
1. Porter had to go when he accepted a considerable amount of money from unknown parties, placing him in a position to be improperly influenced. His subsequent behaviours, including attempts at suppression of statements made to the court and settling in return for a clarification that stated the obvious mean he will be "judged" by observers, it's part of what goes with being a public figure.
2. Cases of false accusations of rape are exceedingly rare, far far less common that a victim who chooses not to report their assault.
3. Evidence of the effect on the victim can be found in years of subsequent trauma, irrespective of whether criminal charges are contemplated. Believing the victim is regularly an important part of their coming to terms with their assault, it is far from saying convict on an accusation and nothing more. I know too many people who have been raped and the damage done by rapists to their victim(s) lives is immense.
4. The rate of successful prosecution for rape is low, and the idea that there is a crisis going on with men being victimised with false allegations of rape is absurd.