the economics of Christian Porter’s defamation trial

There’s a rumour going around among the sewer rats of Twitter that taxpayers are funding Christian Porter’s defamation claim against the ABC. That rumour is false. Numerous sources have reported the attorney-general won’t get taxpayer funding for the case.

Still, litigation of the kind he’s pursuing — taking on the ABC with the cream of the Sydney bar on his side — doesn’t come cheap. Tally up the legal costs and it’s way out of reach for most Australians. And even for an attorney-general on an ever-increasing salary it’s a huge financial burden.

Just how much?

How much can we expect Porter’s claim to cost? Things could be wound up very quickly if the ABC settles. But the broadcaster has a habit of fighting claims, and a settlement here — where the stakes are so high and the politics so bitter — would seem like a capitulation too far.