Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has commented on the impact the legal system has on people who come forward with sexual assault allegations.

The prosecution of a man alleged to have raped Ms Higgins in Parliament House in 2019 was dropped this week due to concerns about her mental wellbeing.

The initial trial was aborted due to juror misconduct.

Bruce Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence, denying there was any sexual contact between the pair. 

In her first public comments since the prosecution was dropped, Ms Higgins said she never understood how asymmetrical the criminal justice system was until she spoke up.

She said she had felt like the person on trial after having her private life, messages and data publicly exposed and scrutinised.

“This is the reality of how complainants in sexual assault cases are treated,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday morning. 

“Their lives are torn apart, their families and friends called to the witness stand and the accused has the legal right to say absolutely nothing.”

Ms Higgins said the criminal justice system failed to deliver outcomes for victims of sexual assault, citing that in the ACT during 2020, only 16 per cent of sexual offences reported to police resulted in a charge.

Only half of those resulted in a conviction.

“That is to our national shame,” she said.

“I want to thank the other women who came forward and shared their own experiences.

“I believe you. You were with me every day I walked into that court room and faced him.”