Key Points
- Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has hit back at claims she misled parliament.
- Senator Gallagher says it was "never true" that she had known about Brittany Higgins' allegations for weeks before they were made public.
- The Opposition has threatened to refer Ms Higgins' compensation payment to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
This story contains allegations of sexual assault and may be distressing to some readers.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has denied misleading parliament over the Brittany Higgins case, saying Labor was not out to "weaponise" the issue for political gain.
It comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday defended Senator Gallagher amid acccusations she misled parliament about when she knew about ex-Liberal staffer Ms Higgins' rape allegation.
Ms Higgins in December 2022 after she launched legal action against her employers in the previous Coalition government.
She alleged she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann in 2019 inside the office of then-Coalition minister Linda Reynolds, who they both worked for.
Mr Lehrmann has always denied Ms Higgins' allegation.
When did Finance Minister Katy Gallagher become involved with Brittany Higgins?
This week, text messages between Ms Higgins and her partner David Sharaz emerged suggesting the pair contemplated strategising her story with Senator Gallagher, when she was in opposition, after the rape allegation was made public.
It's further alleged by the Opposition that Senator Gallagher misled parliament in 2021 when she rebuffed claims she was tipped off about the rape allegation before it was made public in media reports.
On Saturday, Senator Gallagher told reporters it was "never true" that she had known about Ms Higgins' allegations for weeks prior to them being made public and that Labor had "made a decision to weaponise it" as asserted by Senator Reynolds.
"I explained that to Senator Reynolds that night," Senator Gallagher said.
"She accepted that explanation and that was some two years ago."
Senator Gallagher admitted she was aware of some allegations in the days leading up to Ms Higgins making them public and that Mr Sharaz had provided her with information.
"I did nothing with that information and I was clear about that at the time," she said.
"So there's absolutely no issue here at all.
"I've been clear, I've been honest and at all times I've been guided by the bravery and courage of a young woman who chose to speak up about her workplace.
"From that, we have had massive changes to that workplace."
Brittany Higgins reached a compensation agreement with the Commonwealth in December 2022 after she launched legal action against her employers in the previous Coalition government. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
"You had allegations by a Liberal staffer that another Liberal staffer had a sexual assault in a Liberal minister's office, and somehow, somehow Katy Gallagher has some responsibility for what was going on here," he said.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, meanwhile, has urged people commenting on the case to consider the impact on the young woman at the centre of it after a retrial of the case was ruled out due to the impact on Ms Higgins' mental health and a potential "risk to life".
What has the Opposition said?
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley told reporters senior government members needed to clear the air on what they knew and when.
"The release of text messages and audio recordings has brought into question the conduct of some senior Labor ministers, and the prime minister himself, relating to whether they chose to weaponise a rape allegation for political purposes," Ms Ley said on Friday.
"The government's credibility is in tatters and so every single claim needs to be validated."
Opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume said clarifying the context of the text messages was important.
"There are some questions to be answered," she told Today.
"We shouldn't run a running commentary on the cases that are going on, because there are processes still underway.
"The Sofronoff inquiry hasn't reported yet."
The Sofronoff inquiry into the handling of Mr Lehrmann's subsequent rape trial is due to be handed down in July.
Bruce Lehrmann has always denied the allegation. Source: AAP / AAP
Independent MP Zali Steggall accuses Coalition of 'vile attack'
But Independent MP Zali Steggall on Friday accused the Coalition of turning Ms Higgins into a political punching bag to further their attacks on the Labor government.
"This is a pretty vile attack from Dutton and Linda Reynolds, putting at risk the mental health of someone that's very vulnerable," Ms Steggall told Today.
"We have to remember that Brittany Higgins is a very vulnerable young woman and making her the punching bag of a political attack is really unsavoury."
Ms Steggall called for the content of emails and phone calls made by Senator Reynolds after she was made aware of the alleged assault to be made public and also defended Senator Gallagher.
"In my experience, Katy Gallagher has been a very ethical person in all my dealings with her," she said.
"This is quite a distraction from the Liberal Party, and it says a lot for Dutton's moral compass."
Mr Dutton has doubled down on the issue of compensation, believed to be up to $3 million and paid to Ms Higgins after she settled a personal injury claim.
"Linda Reynolds is a person of great honour and she feels rightly aggrieved in the process here," he said on Thursday.
"I suspect this would be one of the first issues that the integrity commission would deal with."
Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charge against Mr Lehrmann because of fears about the impact of a second rape trial on Ms Higgins' mental health after his initial trial was abandoned because of juror misconduct.
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