The man has identified himself.
Hereâs the entire FB post by the accuser:
I donât want to give this guy any time of the day. I am not sure of the truth but according to the law he didnât do anything wrong. Doesnât sound like the guy ever said no. Sounds like he regreted it after he did it. That doesnât make Tom in the wrong. I just find it quite coincidental that the allegation came at the same time of Tomâs shows premiere.
Ballardâs show began at roughly the same time as MeToo, so it could be coincidence. The accuser said he reported the incident to police when he was assaulted four years ago, so there should be a paper trail.
I like Ballard, but Iâm not going to dismiss the accuser. Ballardâs statement shouldnât be gospel just because it seems honest. People can lie. The accuser could be lying as well, but Iâm of the belief that we should give accusers some benefit of the doubt, given the power imbalance inherent in coming out with an allegation against a star.
The celebrity (whether it be Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey or possibly Tom Ballard) will have more resources and a media advisor, and more fans through which to fight the allegations. The accuser has no such resources and should be given space and time to make his/her claims.
The problem is that mud sticks. Of course none of us know exactly what happened that night, but from what Tom says he thought it was consensual and from what the other person says he didnât say no.
Yes, Tom may have resources to help him but people will remember this, even if itâs decided by the police or a court that heâs not at fault.
Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Nowadays with social media someoneâs reputation could be tarnished forever.
Well Tomâs not a mind reader Iâm guessing
Geoffrey Rush, legal representatives for The Daily Telegraph, and journalist Jonathon Moran are in talks fuelling speculation that a settlement may be reached in Rushâs defamation action against the newspaper.
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Former host of Better Homes and Gardens and actor John Jarratt has been charged over a rape alleged to have occurred in 1976.
Leonie Ryan from 7 News reporting on the Geoffrey Rush defamation case:
Could you be any more crass? Goodness me
Amidst discussions on Twitter about Geoffrey Rush, Christie Whelan Browne gives her opinion of Peter Ford.
The judge in the Geoffrey Rush trial seems to be having trouble believing The Daily Telegraphâs defence.
âI want it to stopâ: ABC journalist goes public with Luke Foley allegations
Foley & Elliott both need to go. A fucking disgusting situation that shouldnât be turned into political fodder
Personally I think Luke Foley needs to go, certainly because of the scandal but also because heâs been hopelessly ineffective as the NSW Opposition Leader in general IMO.
But would Foleyâs resignation trigger an Auburn by-election? And how does this effect NSW Laborâs chances at the March Election?
Iâm hoping Barbara Perry, who was forced to relinquish her seat of Auburn so Foley could take it, makes a come back. She was a good local Labor member ⌠Foley has been terrible.
STATEMENT BY THE ABC
In response to media reports and comments made in the NSW and federal parliaments about an incident in November 2016 involving an ABC journalist and the NSW Leader of the Opposition, Mr Luke Foley, the ABC makes the following statement.
The ABCâs first priority is and always has been the welfare of our employee, journalist Ashleigh Raper. ABC management first became aware of the matter following media enquiries in April this year. At this time ABC management spoke with Ms Raper, who made it clear she did not wish to make a formal complaint or take any action and wished the matter to remain confidential. The ABC respected her wishes but took all steps to ensure Ms Raper received complete management support.
In February 2018, Ms Raper asked to be reassigned from State Parliament to general reporting shifts for reasons unrelated to the incident and before media enquiries were received. There has been no change to the work assignments given to Ms Raper. There is absolutely no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Ms Raper and her career should not be affected in any way.
Ms Raper has today decided to issue a personal statement, which can be read below.
This is the only comment on this matter she and the ABC wish to make.
The ABC considers it extremely unfortunate that media and public pressure has been applied to Ms Raper during these past months and caused her to speak publicly on an issue she did not wish to pursue or to comment on.
STATEMENT BY ASHLEIGH RAPER
This is a position I never wanted to be in and a statement I never intended to make.
But I think the time has come for my voice to be heard, for the following reasons:
The escalation of the public debate, including in state and federal parliament, despite my expressed wish to neither comment nor complain, and the likelihood of ongoing media and political interest.
Two recent phone conversations with the Leader of the New South Wales Opposition Luke Foley.
To set the record straight.
In November 2016 I attended an official Christmas function at New South Wales Parliament House for state political reporters, politicians and their staff.
This is what happened on that night.
The party moved from Parliament House to Martin Place Bar after a number of hours.
Later in the evening, Luke Foley approached a group of people, including me, to say goodnight.
He stood next to me.
He put his hand through a gap in the back of my dress and inside my underpants.
He rested his hand on my buttocks.
I completely froze.
This was witnessed by Sean Nicholls, who was then the state political editor at the Sydney Morning Herald and is now an ABC journalist.
Mr Foley then left the bar.
Sean and I discussed what happened.
As shaken as I was, I decided not to take any action and asked Sean to keep the events in the strictest confidence.
He has honoured that.
I chose not to make a complaint for a number of reasons.
It is clear to me that a woman who is the subject of such behaviour is often the person who suffers once a complaint is made.
I cherished my position as a state political reporter and feared that would be lost.
I also feared the negative impact the publicity could have on me personally and on my young family.
This impact is now being felt profoundly.
When a reporter contacted me earlier this year after hearing about the incident, I informed ABC news management about Mr Foleyâs actions.
I told them I didnât wish to make a complaint or for any further action to be taken.
They respected my request for privacy and have offered me nothing but their absolute care and support.
David Elliot raised the matter in the New South Wales Parliament last month, putting the incident in the public domain.
The matter then became a state and federal political issue and resulted in intense media attention.
This occurred without my involvement or consent.
Last Sunday (4 November) Luke Foley called me on my mobile phone and we had a conversation that lasted 19 minutes.
He said he was sorry and that he was full of remorse for his behaviour towards me at the Press Gallery Christmas function in November 2016.
He told me that he had wanted to talk to me about that night on many occasions over the past two years because, while he was drunk and couldnât remember all the details of the night, he knew he did something to offend me.
He apologised again and told me, âIâm not a philanderer, Iâm not a groper, Iâm just a drunk idiotâ.
He said he would be resigning as the leader of the New South Wales Labor Party on either the next day (Monday, 5 November) or Wednesday (7 November).
He said he couldnât resign on the Tuesday because it was Melbourne Cup Day and he didnât want to be accused of burying the story.
On Tuesday (6 November) Mr Foley called me again.
He repeated his apology and told me he owed me âa lot of contritionâ.
He informed me heâd received legal advice not to resign as Opposition Leader.
He indicated he intended to follow that advice.
There are three things I want to come from my decision to make this statement.
First, women should be able to go about their professional lives and socialise without being subject to this sort of behaviour.
And I want it to stop.
Second, situations like mine should not be discussed in parliament for the sake of political point scoring.
And I want it to stop.
Third, I want to get on with my life.
I do not wish to make any further comment.