Former federal attorney-general Christian Porter has used his final speech in parliament to hit out at the "mob" he says came after him following the airing of an historical rape allegation, which he strenuously denied.
Mr Porter had long been touted as a potential future prime minister but announced late last year he would not recontest his seat of Pearce at the upcoming election.
On Tuesday he told Parliament he had seen the "awful side" of politics and experienced things he "wouldn't wish on anyone", but that his time in Canberra was absolutely worth it.
"You always live in hope that there'll be more time, but in politics you just never know if it'll be your last time at the dispatch box, or at a national security committee, or in Cabinet," he sai
Saved from the 'mob'
At the end of his half-hour long valedictory speech, Mr Porter reflected on the importance of the rule of law, which he described as the "antidote to the rule of the mob".
He said he had experienced "people so utterly convinced in their own judgement that they didn't need anything else, other than their own judgement."
"People that would just cut through any law or abandon any process that might get between them and the target of their judgement.
"You may think it will never happen to you, or someone you know, but if we don't protect those fundamental protections in this place, they'll come for others. Nothing is more certain."
Mr Porter thanked a number of people he said had stood between him and the "mob", including an unnamed "guardian pixie", as well as journalist and commentator Peter van Onselen and Defence Minister Peter Dutton.
"Knowing the risks better than any two people could possibly know the risks, they stated plain, public support for me while the mob was in its full fury," he said.
"Those are acts of courage that will stay with me for the rest of my life."
China a 'massive risk' to Australia
Mr Porter spent a significant portion of his speech sharing his views on Australia's relationship with China, saying he had initially seen the two nations as "mercantile frenemies" in a situation that benefited Australia.
"I am absolutely convinced now, a decade later, that view about the ledger being on the benefit side, not the risk side, is totally wrong," he said.
"The truth became very clear to me early in this place that the change in China, and in China's capability, has created a massive risk for Australia. As big a risk as we have ever faced.
"I leave this place having been part of a small, but now very substantial group, who've come to see the reality of this strategic risk: its immediacy, its peril, and the menace that it offers," he said.
Reflecting on a 2017 conversation with a member of the US intelligence community, he lamented a "consuming focus on the whys of change", suggesting China was increasing its presence in the Solomon Islands "because they can".
"If more evidence were needed, the lessons unfolding in Europe for our own region must be: do not enfeeble yourself in the face of foreseeable risk," Mr Porter said.
He also questioned what he described as a growth in identity politics and the abandonment of "fundamental, foundational Western principles".
Controversies dog Porter
Mr Porter first entered politics in the West Australian Parliament, serving for five years, including as attorney-general and treasurer.
In 2013, he was elected to the federal seat of Pearce, in Perth's north, and quickly rose through the ranks to become attorney-general under both former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and then Scott Morrison.
In his speech, he thanked both former West Australian premier Colin Barnett, and former prime minister Tony Abbott, saying "both are people I admire enormously".
Having been touted as a potential future prime minister, he became embroiled in controversy last year when the ABC reported an unnamed cabinet minister had been accused of raping a woman in 1988 in a letter sent to Mr Morrison.
At a tearful press conference, Mr Porter identified himself as the unnamed cabinet minister and strenuously denied the allegation.
He stepped aside from the attorney-general portfolio while pursuing defamation action against the ABC, which was ultimately discontinued.
Mr Porter was then under pressure to quit the frontbench after declaring he had accepted funds from anonymous donors to cover some of the legal fees in his action against the ABC.
He ultimately quit the ministry, saying he would not pressure the donors to reveal their identities, after the Prime Minister said Mr Porter was "unable to conclusively rule out a perceived conflict of interest".
In an update to the federal parliament's Register of Members' Interests, Mr Porter said he had registered two companies, one to conduct legal practice after finishing his time in the Parliament.
Before politics, Mr Porter worked as a senior prosecutor and university law lecturer.
