Former ACT attorney-general Gordon Ramsay, who is accused of grooming a teenage boy, has pleaded not guilty to seven new offences.
Ramsay, 61, previously denied one count of encouraging a young person to commit an act of a sexual nature.
He faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday, July 15, where Magistrate Jane Campbell formally read the seven new charges brought against him last month.
The charges include three counts of using a carriage service for child abuse material, two counts of an act of indecency on a young person under special care, and one count each of possessing or controlling child abuse material using a carriage service, and using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend.
The court previously heard the seven fresh charges relate to the same alleged victim.
On Wednesday, Ms Campbell said these alleged offences occurred over a period spanning February 19, 2023, to January 1, 2025.
After the charges were read out to him, Ramsay's defence lawyer, Michael Kukulies-Smith, confirmed the pleas of not guilty to each count.
Mr Kukulies-Smith then proposed a variation to Ramsay's bail conditions, requesting that an existing ban on using encrypted communication applications - such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger - be altered to include the exception: "unless under the supervision of police."
The variation was not opposed by the prosecution and was granted by Ms Campbell.
Concluding the hearing, the magistrate formally committed Ramsay to the ACT Supreme Court to stand trial.
The former Labor MLA was the ACT attorney-general from 2016 to 2020.
A heavily redacted statement of facts released by the court earlier this year details the grooming allegations against the former attorney-general.
In the document, Ramsay is accused of grooming the boy between 2022 and 2023.
With the consent of the boy's parents, it is alleged Ramsay met up with the boy multiple times a week around Canberra and, at times, these catch-ups lasted for up to six hours.
Ramsay and the boy were said to be in constant communication over the phone and he would message "good morning" and "good night".
About four months into their communications, Ramsay reportedly told the alleged victim he was "very special", he would treat him as an adult and would keep the communication between them.
Despite the boy's parents having a strict no-alcohol policy, Ramsay allegedly started bringing small alcohol bottles for him to consume. This progressed until he would bring alcohol to every second meeting.
Ramsay is said to have purchased the child sex toys, and encouraged him to take increasingly indecent photographs purportedly to assist the boy with his "body confidence".
In June 2024, the alleged victim's family held a meeting with Ramsay because they were becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of time he was spending with the boy.
The alleged grooming was reported to police in September 2025 and in a phone call recorded by police, Ramsay allegedly encouraged the boy to take more photographs to "continue building his confidence".
Ramsay was arrested and granted bail in October 2025.
His case will return to court later this month, when a date is expected to be set for his trial.
