South Australia's coroner will not hold an inquest into the death of a woman who took her own life in 2020, after she made allegations of an historical sexual assault against Christian Porter.
Mr Porter strenuously denied the allegations.
The coroner said the decision followed an "exhaustive coronial investigation".
"I have entered a finding as to the cause of Kate's death and determined that an inquest will not be held," the coroner said.
"This is in accordance with the wishes of Kate's family, who have requested that their privacy be respected.
"The State Coroner is bound by confidentiality obligations and no further information will be released."
Mr Porter declined to comment on today's statement by the SA coroner.
In early 2021, the former Attorney-General became embroiled in controversy after the ABC reported an "unnamed cabinet minister" had been accused of raping a woman in 1988, in a letter sent to then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Mr Porter identified himself as the unnamed cabinet minister, but strenuously denied the allegation in a tearful press conference.
The woman "Kate" contacted police in 2019, but withdrew her complaint in the days before she took her own life in 2020.
In March 2021, New South Wales Police said there was insufficient admissible evidence to proceed with an investigation in the matter.
South Australia Police prepared its own report into the death of the woman for the State Coroner, for the court to decide whether to launch an inquest.
Mr Porter stepped aside from the attorney-general's portfolio while he pursued defamation action against the ABC, which he ultimately settled and discontinued.
Partially-redacted documents published by the Federal Court in June 2021 detailed the woman's allegation that she was raped three times by Mr Porter in Sydney when they were both teenagers in 1988, after a formal dinner for a debating championship.
No findings have been made against Mr Porter.
In September 2021, Mr Porter was again under pressure to quit the ministry, after he declared he had accepted funds from anonymous donors to cover some of the legal fees in his defamation action against the ABC.
The declaration sparked an inquiry into the broader rules around donations to politicians.
After Mr Morrison said his minister had been "unable to conclusively rule out a perceived conflict of interest", Mr Porter quit the frontbench, saying he would not pressure the donors to reveal their identities.
Mr Porter had vowed to fight on and contest the next election and had already been pre-selected, but announced in December of that year that he would not recontest the seat of Pearce in Western Australia.
At the time he said he had "given everything he could" to his electorate, and that it was time to "give more of what is left to those around me whose love has been unconditional".
"There are few, if any, constants left in modern politics. Perhaps the only certainty now is that there appears to be no limit to what some will say or allege or do to gain an advantage over a perceived enemy," he said in December 2021.
"This makes the harshness that can accompany the privilege of representing people, harder than ever before. But even though I have experienced perhaps more of the harshness of modern politics than most, there are no regrets."
A statement provided today to the ABC by former Adelaide Writers Week director and federal independent candidate Jo Dyer, issued on "on behalf of a group of Kate's friends", said they were "grateful for the South Australian Coroner's exhaustive and respectful investigation into Kate's death".
"We remain disappointed the NSW Police did not conduct a similarly thorough investigation into the crime Kate alleged had been perpetrated against her," the statement said.
"We continue to believe there were tragic failures of process in Kate's case."
NSW Police today said it had "provided all relevant documentation and statements in relation to this matter at the request of the South Australian Coroner's Court".
"As such, we have nothing further to add at this stage," a spokesperson said.
In the statement provided by Ms Dyer, she said the group of friends "completely" understood and respected "Kate's family's wish for privacy".
"Our ongoing relationship with them is cherished."
