A political brawl over Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations has spilled into both houses of parliament, as federal police investigate the apparent leak of multiple court documents.
Pressure has been mounting on Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, who has denied she misled parliament in 2021 about being aware of the allegations before they were made public.
Ms Higgins alleged she was raped by fellow Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann inside the Parliament House office of then-minister Linda Reynolds in 2019, a claim he has always denied.
Mr Lehrmann faced a criminal trial which was derailed by juror misconduct.
Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charge due to the impact of a second trial on Ms Higgins’ mental health.
Questions over Senator Gallagher’s conduct were raised after leaked text messages between Ms Higgins and her partner David Sharaz emerged last week, suggesting the pair strategised with her, then in opposition, ahead of the story being published.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told parliament he was “deeply concerned” about the apparent unauthorised leak of court material provided under subpoena.
He said the Australian Federal Police had received a complaint about the matter and were investigating.
“It’s vital that victims of alleged sexual assault have confidence that if they come forward and report what happened to them they will be treated fairly by our justice system,” he said.
“We all have a responsibility, those of us in this parliament and in the media, to discuss this issue in a careful and responsible way which properly respects the interests of victims.”
Senator Gallagher rejected the suggestion she had misled the parliament.
The minister said she was guided by Ms Higgins’ bravery in speaking up about an alleged incident in her workplace and took aim at how the former government handled the matter.
“At a time when (Ms Higgins) needed their support the most, she should have been dealt with as a human being, not a problem that needed managing,” Senator Gallagher said.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison reiterated he first became aware of the alleged assault the same day the media reports were published.
He insisted Senator Reynolds’ office, including chief of staff Fiona Brown, had supported Ms Higgins by helping her refer the matter to police.
“Allegations of sexual violence against women should be addressed in our justice system (and) they should not be cynically prosecuted in the public square for politics, as is sadly and increasingly being revealed in relation to these issues,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison admitted he made a mistake by telling parliament in 2021 he had spoken to Ms Brown about the allegation Ms Higgins’ job had been threatened if she continued with her complaint.
Ms Brown told the Weekend Australian newspaper this was not true.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told a coalition partyroom meeting it was an “open and shut case” the now-minister had misled the Senate.
“It is increasingly clear that a group of Labor operatives conspired to maximise an allegation, it was absolutely brazen,” Mr Dutton said.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, also mentioned in the leaked material, said she took Ms Higgins’ complaint seriously.
“This is an incredibly difficult conversation for many thousands of people who are watching this right now,” she said.
“They find it distressing because they know that when victims of sexual assault report these matters to the police, they often go into a process which is re-victimising and re-traumatising.
“In every instance I behaved ethically and completely properly, respectful of the issues at hand and respectful of the people involved.”
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young described the treatment of the allegations as disgusting and blasted the “politicking, the mudslinging and the hypocrisy”.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
By Maeve Bannister, Poppy Johnston and Tess Ikonomou in Canberra
