Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds has been accused in court of being knowingly involved in a systemic cover-up to keep Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations secret.

On Thursday, journalist Lisa Wilkinson told the Federal Court she “read between the lines” in her discussions with Ms Higgins regarding how her rape complaint had been treated.

Wilkinson said she believed Ms Higgins’ boss Senator Reynolds and acting chief of staff Fiona Brown were taking orders from the prime minister’s office and it followed they were “knowing participants in a systemic cover-up”.

“You’d agree that would be wicked conduct?” Justice Michael Lee asked.

“Yes,” Wilkinson replied.

The Ten journalist said after someone from The Canberra Times asked Parliament House about Ms Higgins being allegedly raped on Senator Reynolds’ couch, the story somehow disappeared.

“That sounds to me like a cover-up,” she said.

Senator Reynolds has vigorously denied covering up the rape allegations and said she had been the target of unwarranted criticism and abuse since the scandal became public.

Wilkinson said she “totally believed” Senator Reynolds and Ms Brown wanted to make sure that Ms Higgins was OK but that they chose their words carefully being in a “bit of a minefield” with a federal election looming.

Lehrmann is suing Network Ten and Wilkinson for defamation over a February 2021 report on The Project that aired Ms Higgins’ claims.

In the interview, Ms Higgins said the alleged rape occurred in the office of her then-boss Senator Linda Reynolds in the early hours of March 2019.

Lehrmann has always denied any sexual contact occurred.

Wilkinson criticised Senator Reynolds’ decision to meet Ms Higgins days after the alleged rape in her office, where the sexual assault was purported to have occurred.

“I find that behaviour deplorable,” the journalist said.

During a meeting with Ms Higgins and Ten producer Angus Lewellyn in January 2021 before The Project report was aired, Wilkinson said she had Senator Reynolds “in her sights” and recounted a social media stoush the two of them had in February 2019.

“What she had done publicly, I considered pretty cheap and nasty,” Wilkinson said on Thursday.

At that same meeting, Ms Higgins told Wilkinson and Mr Llewellyn she had lost all data on her phone but somehow retained a few messages and photographs she handed over as evidence that she was allegedly sexually assaulted.

Wilkinson called Ms Higgins’ claim the federal government could remotely wipe phones “curious” and “strange”.

“I was trying to get to the bottom of the phone situation, so alarm bells were ringing for me,” she said.

She denied suggestions by Lehrmann’s barrister Matthew Richardson SC this should have made her question Ms Higgin’s reliability, instead saying it made her see the alleged rape survivor as a “very scared young woman”.

Wilkinson said because of the sensitive nature of sexual assault, Mr Llewellyn had been assigned as the only person from Ten to have contact with Ms Higgins during the preparatory stages.

She said she had spoken to the producer about the phone issue and also escalated her concerns to two other senior members in the team but was told it had been investigated and was a “non-issue”.

The journalist rejected Mr Richardson’s propositions that a June 2022 speech after The Project won a silver Logie for the Higgins report was “reckless and ill-advised”.

The speech was made eight days before Lehrmann’s criminal trial over the alleged rape was due to begin and resulted in it being postponed because of fears her comments could have influenced potential jury members.

“You put your pride and your ego ahead of my client’s right to a fair trial when you gave that speech,” Mr Richardson said.

“I completely disagree,” Wilkinson replied.

Lehrmann was charged in August 2021 over the alleged rape, but his trial in the ACT Supreme Court was derailed by juror misconduct.

Prosecutors did not seek a second trial, citing concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health.

Lehrmann is also before Queensland courts accused of raping another woman twice in Toowoomba in October 2021.

He has not entered a plea, but his lawyers have indicated he denies the charges.

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