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Did Tony Abbott punch the wall next to a woman's head at uni?

Did he or didn’t he?

The Prime Minister has been requested to confirm, under oath, his recollection of the events that took place on the evening of 28 July 1977. That night he is alleged to have punched the wall either side of a student, Barbara Ramjan, while he was at university.

An eye-witness has now come forward and sworn an affidavit that Ms Ramjan’s account is accurate.

Earlier today News Corp’s National political editor Samantha Maiden shared a media statement from Abbott’s one-time political rival Barbara Ramjan, via Twitter.

Ramjan is the woman who has sworn on oath that on July 28 in 1977 at Sydney University, Tony Abbott “came up to her, stood within an inch of her nose and punched the wall on either side of her head”. Ramjan, now a Guardian in the NSW Children’s Court and the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, asserts that this occurred at the Student Representative Council offices at the uni following the election for the SRC president that took place that night. Abbott was a candidate for president and was not elected.

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Ramjan has had her version of events, honesty and credibility in relation to that night, repeatedly questioned. Andrew Bolt, Alan Jones, Michael Kroger and The Australian newspaper are among those who were required to apologise Ramjan for suggesting she had lied.

The recent publication of an extract from Greg Sheridan’s book When We Were Young and Foolish, dealing with the events of that evening, prompted Ramjan’s media statement today.

Tony Abbott’s personal friend Greg Sheridan writes of the night in question in his book When We Were Young and Foolish

In his book Sheridan, The Australian’s foreign editor and long-time personal friend of the PM, makes a number of comments about the night in question. In particular, he says that ‘nothing like that could have happened’ and that there were no witness to the event other than Ramjan.

Barbara Ramjan disputes this in her media statement today and has produced an affidavit from a witness to the events of the night.

The affidavit was prepared for, but never presented in, Raman’s defamation proceedings against The Australian. In his statement the witness identifies three additional witnesses and confirm’s Ramjan’s version of events.

She has called upon the Prime Minister to swear on oath his recollection of the incident, or if he has no recollection, to swear on oath his recollection of meeting her at the SRC that night, the names of the witnesses who were present and whether he congratulated her on being elected President.