Chris Merritt
Legal Affairs Editor
Sydney THE woman at the centre of historical rape allegations against Bill Shorten is seeking to reopen her case after it was rejected by authorities because they believed there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction.
The woman has recruited high-profile barrister Peter Faris QC, who has informed the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions, John Champion, that his client wants to review the DPP’s decision not to press charges.
In August, the Opposition Leader identified himself as the subject of an investigation into rape allegations dating from 1986 that he said were untrue and abhorrent. Mr Shorten, who was speaking soon after Victoria Police confirmed they would be taking no further action, said the matter was over and he had a right to “draw the line on this”.
Investigating police said at the time they would be taking no further action after the state Office of Public Prosecutions advised them there was no reasonable prospect of success.
Mr Faris has written to Mr Champion seeking documents that appear to lay the groundwork for further proceedings aimed at challenging the legal basis for the DPP’s decision. Mr Faris asked the DPP to confirm the nature of his decision, whether he was prepared to reconsider and whether he would provide the reasons why Mr Shorten was not charged. The letter, sent on Friday, seeks access to the police brief and any other material Mr Champion used when making his decision.
Mr Faris told The Australian his client, Kathy, was of limited means and his pro bono involvement was the first time she had the benefit of advice from a lawyer. “She is frightened that he is so powerful that nothing will happen. She wants to have a court decide this, not the DPP,” Mr Faris said.
Kathy has alleged that she was raped at a Victorian Young Labor camp near Geelong, in 1986, when Mr Shorten was 19 and she was 16. Mr Shorten said in August there was “absolutely no basis for the claim”.
