Former political adviser and Sky News commentator Peta Credlin has confirmed that she helped Brittany Higgins draft a statement in 2021 about how parliament should handle sexual harassment.
She made the revelation Tuesday night on Sky News, saying she did so with the "full support" of then-prime minister Scott Morrison and her manager at Sky News Australia.
"I was asked if I would take a call from Brittany Higgins, which I did and in it, she asked me if I would help her draft the terms of reference for a review into the treatment of female staff in federal politics," she said.
Credlin also said that aside from her help with the draft, she helped ensure Higgins would get the help she needed.
"I also told her ... she must make a full statement to the Federal Police, rather than continue to run this issue through the media. I admit I was shocked that this had not been done in the many months since her alleged rape," she said.
The host said she no longer has contact with Higgins or her husband, David Sharaz, who "at one time ... [was] an employee of Sky".
Before Credlin's admission on television, a defamation trial on Tuesday held in the Western Australian Supreme Court revealed the collaboration among Credlin, Sharaz and Higgins.
Linda Reynolds — Higgins' former boss — is suing Higgins and her husband David Sharaz for defamation over several social media posts that she believes damaged her reputation.
Senator Linda Reynolds is suing Brittany Higgins for defamation over several social media posts. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
"It wasn't Ms Higgins' voice at all," Bennett stated.
"The draft ... was prepared by Sharaz and it was edited by Peta Credlin."
Bennett read out a text message Sharaz had sent to Credlin which said: "Thank you again for your help. Please see below the initial draft, feel free to completely re-work wherever you see fit."
Reynolds' legal team believes that the communication between Sharaz and Credlin revealed the amount of media planning that went on after Higgins went to the media with rape allegations.
Aside from Credlin's role in editing the draft, Bennett said she also had a phone call with Sharaz to give suggestions on how some paragraphs could be reworked.
"This idea that statements made by Ms Higgins after the date of The Project interview and the (News.com.au reporter Samantha) Maiden article corroborate her motive in making those statements ... needs to be treated with caution because what appears to be Ms Higgins' voice was the voice of people jumping on a bandwagon."
