Liberal MP Andrew Laming has formally withdrawn his apology to two women who alleged he trolled them on online, and said the accusations the women made against him were “fabricated”.
Laming had previously made a formal apology to the women in federal parliament in March, on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s instructions, acknowledging the women’s “significant distress”.
On Thursday, Laming told parliament that this apology had only been meant for those “genuinely upset” by his electronic communication, but “none of those televised in March were genuine”.
“Today I withdraw my March 25 parliamentary apology, it is now clear that the accusations against me were fabricated,” Laming said on Thursday.
Laming said that those who made accusations did not go through formal complaint channels.
“Serious accusations deserve to be the subject of a formal complaint. And apart from one thrown out minutes after I provided a written statement, no complaint has ever materialised despite my public and repeated requests.”
Laming has since commenced defamation proceedings against Nine over its original story.
In his apology withdrawal on Thursday, Laming mentioned the ABC, criticising it for “refusing to apologise for months and stooping to trolling my electorate for mildly annoyed critics to join the pile-on”.
In March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison ordered Laming into empathy training, and said he should make an apology. “He is very clear about my expectations,” Morrison said at the time.
“I want to express my regret and deep apologies for the hurt and the distress that communication may have caused,” Laming said in March.
“I want to retract those comments and issue a public unreserved apology.
“I have made a concerted effort to understand the impact of these responses upon others and demonstrate a clear change in the way I communicate.”
After the allegations came to light, Laming had said he would not recontest his federal seat at the next election. Later, he unsuccessfully attempted to regain endorsement for preselection.