Brittany Higgins has accused Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, her former boss, of trying to silence victims and undermining women’s movements. 

In a submission to the ACT board of inquiry investigating how Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial was handled, Senator Reynolds suggested law changes to discourage people from using the media in relation to a criminal allegation.

Ms Higgins alleged Mr Lehrmann, her former colleague, raped her inside Senator Reynolds’ ministerial office after a night out in 2019.

He has always denied the allegation. 

Senator Reynolds called for amendments to the ACT Crimes Act to deter individuals from using the media or parliamentary forums in relation to an alleged criminal offence that ought properly be the subject of the criminal justice processes, according to a report in The Australian.

In her submission, the senator reportedly referenced a section of the NSW Crimes Act that makes it an offence for anyone who knows or believes that a serious indictable offence has been committed and fails to report it to police.

But Ms Higgins said Senator Reynolds’ proposal undermined the work of the Let Her Speak campaign and the March For Justice movement. 

“Imagine being the person earnestly attempting to change the Crime Act to make it illegal for alleged sexual assault survivors to talk about their lived experience?” Ms Higgins wrote on Twitter.

“As opposed to, you know, reforming the justice system to actually prosecute perpetrators.

“Instead of solving the problem, there are people who would prefer to just silence victims.”

By Maeve Bannister in Canberra