AUSTRALIA: The British queen's embattled representative in Australia yesterday denied he had raped a woman in the 1960s, further fuelling the biggest controversy to hit the vice-regal office in three decades.
Governor-general Mr Peter Hollingworth - who is facing calls to resign for mishandling child sex abuse complaints when he was Anglican archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s - said a woman had made the rape claims in a civil case before a Victoria state court.
The woman, named yesterday as Ms Rosemarie Anne Jarmyn (57), claimed he raped her at a youth camp. She died last month.
"I did not know this woman. I did not rape her. I did not sexually assault her. I deny absolutely that I have ever raped or in any way sexually assaulted any person," Mr Hollingworth said in a statement and a televised national address.
Mr Hollingworth (68) made no comment on his future as governor-general, the titular head of state in the former British colony, despite growing calls for him to step down from those who believe he has brought the office into disrepute, including government ministers and Anglican bishops.
While the governor-general position is largely ceremonial, Mr Hollingworth retains the power to sack a government.
So far, Prime Minister Mr John Howard has stood by the man he appointed, but opinion polls show that more than three-quarters of Australians want Mr Hollingworth to quit. - (Reuters)