A six-word tweet that 'deeply offended' Peter Dutton unjustly defamed him, a court has ruled.
The defence minister and Queensland MP was awarded $35,000 damages on Wednesday after succeeding in his defamation claim against refugee advocate Shane Bazzi, who tweeted in February the MP was a 'rape apologist'.
The since-deleted tweet contained a link to a 2019 news article quoting Mr Dutton saying some refugee women on Nauru who complained of rape were 'trying it on' in order to come to Australia.
Mr Bazzi, through lawyer Richard Potter SC, told the court he was expressing his honestly held opinion that was based on fact.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) is set to hear whether his defamation lawsuit over a six-word tweet has succeeded on Wednesday afternoon
But the Federal Court determined the tweet went beyond the facts of the article, concerning Mr Dutton's questioning of the bona fides of the women's claims.
'This is a different subject matter than diminishing the significance of rape, or not treating it seriously when it occurs, or any action which involves excusing rape,' Justice Richard White said in written reasons.
'Mr Bazzi was not making some stark or exaggerated or prejudiced comment based on the material but
