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Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Andrew Bolt demands an investigation into Brittany Higgins' $2.4million payout after she announced her return to the workforce
Andrew Bolt has called for an investigation into Brittany Higgins ' $2.4million compensation payment from the federal government after she got a new job despite being 'diagnosed as medically unfit for any form of employment'. The former Liberal staffer made a compensation claim for damages in March 2022 after alleging she was raped in parliament by her former colleague, Bruce Lehrmann. He has always denied the claims but was found to have raped Ms Higgins on the balance of probabilities by Justice Michael Lee in April last year - a decision Lehrmann is currently appealing. In Ms Higgins' draft statement of claim, first reported by The Australian newspaper, she had been 'diagnosed as medically unfit for any form of employment, and has been given a very poor prognosis for future employment'. The claim suggested she was therefore due over $2.5 million in economic loss for 40 years' of missed earnings. These claims were untested in court given Ms Higgins was awarded the $2.4 million by payout after one day of mediation talks. Now, Sky News host Andrew Bolt has called for a 'hearing' into the decision. 'I feel taxpayers were taken for a ride by both Higgins and by the government. Shouldn't this payout be investigated?' he asked in a column for Newscorp. 'Indeed, it's now nearly two years since Linda Reynolds (former Defence Minister and Ms Higgins' former boss) rightly referred it to Labor's new National Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation. 'It's still deciding what to do, but Reynolds isn't giving up.' A decision in Senator Reynolds' defamation action against Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz is expected later this month. The couple were forced to sell their French chateau they bought in 2023 to pay for their legal bills. Despite once claiming not to be able to work again, Ms Higgins last week revealed she is returning to the workforce, joining the same company where her husband is employed. The 30-year-old is now the director of public affairs at the public relations agency Third Hemisphere, the Australian Financial Review first reported. Her appointment came soon after her husband David Sharaz announced in March he had taken on the role of director at the agency. The pair are working from home as they juggle their roles with looking after their son Freddie who was born on March 2. Ms Higgins shared the news of her appointment on Instagram with the caption: 'Your girl is finally back in the workforce!' It is the first full-time job for Ms Higgins since she was a ministerial media adviser and was thrust into the limelight when she made rape claims against Lehrmann. Following the trials, Ms Higgins became an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and has interned at the United Nations and has done work for Queensland's Human Rights Commission. Ms Higgins explained her move to Third Hemisphere came after fostering a connection with the firm's founder and CEO Hannah Moreno. Ms Moreno was also a rape and domestic violence survivor who campaigns for gender equality and fights against sexual harassment. 'There was this general feeling of "how long do I have to be the story for?" At what point do I get to put it to rest... and have my own identity outside this narrative of Brittany Higgins,' Ms Higgins said. 'I also have a brand reputation and I don't want to align myself in a corporate sense with someone that could be doing something untoward. 'I had to join a team that I fundamentally believe in and which believes in the same things that I do.' Ms Higgins said the role would be her first step in following her role models, including Governor-General Samantha Mostyn, Indigenous social activist and business executive Tanya Hosch and business executive Christine Holgate. In her new position, Ms Higgins will work with clients on reputation management and strategic advocacy. She will also handle stakeholder engagement, media relations and public affairs initiatives which create public discussion. Ms Higgins shared the news of her appointment to Instagram on Wednesday with the caption: 'Your girl is finally back in the workforce!' In August 2021, Mr Lehrmann was identified as the Liberal Party staffer accused of raping Ms Higgins inside Parliament House in 2019. Ms Higgins shared her alleged sexual assault ordeal with Channel 10 journalist Lisa Wilkinson in an interview aired on The Project. Lehrmann has always denied the allegations. Lehrmann faced the ACT Supreme Court in late 2022 but the case was dropped after a juror brought outside research into the deliberation room. Another criminal trial did not happen, with prosecutors citing concern for Ms Higgins' mental health. In 2023, Lehrmann launched legal proceedings against Wilkinson and Channel 10, claiming he'd been defamed by The Project episode. The ruling in that lawsuit left Lehrmann's reputation in ruins with Justice Michael Lee finding that, on the balance of probabilities, he raped Ms Higgins. He has appealed the ruling with the case to go before the Federal Court of Australia in August. After quitting her role as Liberal Party media adviser, Ms Higgins worked on short-term contracts at the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and the Queensland Human Rights Commission. She also signed a book deal with Penguin Random House in 2021 for a tell-all memoir about her time in Parliament and the moment Lehrmann allegedly raped her. The final 90,000-word autobiography was meant to hit shelves in 2022, but publishers placed it on indefinite hold due to legal issues - namely, because the trial against Mr Lehrmann fell over and he was never convicted. It emerged this week that Mr Lehrmann is working unpaid as a live-in nanny to the children of a close friend as he awaits further trials.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Linda Reynolds claims she was ‘obliged' to sue Brittany Higgins in a civil defamation case
Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds will claim she was 'obliged' to sue Brittany Higgins in a civil defamation case in new court documents seeking taxpayer-funded compensation for her losses and damages. In the latest branch of the byzantine web of legal action associated with the saga, her legal team have asked the Federal Court to consider whether taxpayers should make a contribution to cover her 'losses' including legal costs in the WA Supreme Court. While the total amount she has spent on the case is not stipulated it is conservatively estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars. In new legal filings, the Liberal Senator's legal team argues she 'has suffered, and is continuing to suffer, loss and damage.' 'These losses include: Legal costs associated with being obliged to commence proceedings so as to vindicate and restore her reputation,'' the document states. 'Further particulars of the legal costs incurred to date in vindicating the Applicant's reputation will be provided prior to trial.' The firm is claiming equitable damages or alternatively, damages for breach of fiduciary duties; or damages for negligence; further or other relief as the Court deems just. The defamation case in the WA Supreme Court is tied to social media posts on Instagram and Twitter made by Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz which Senator Reynolds says 'maliciously' targeted her. She argues the posts falsely alleged she had 'harassed' Ms Higgins and mishandled the former staffer's claim she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann. 'They were published in furtherance of a plan by the defendant and Mr Sharaz to use the defendant's allegations of a rape and the political cover-up… as a weapon to inflict immediate political damage upon the plaintiff and the then government,' the Senator's original WA Supreme Court statement of claim reads. Mr Lehrmann has always denied the rape allegation and was charged but never convicted before the trial collapsed as a result of juror miscondct Now, there is a new legal case spawned by the ongoing saga in the Federal Court. Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds is suing the commonwealth for unspecified damages over its conduct in Brittany Higgins' compensation case in the Federal Court. Senator Reynolds' legal team will argue that the $2.4 million taxpayer-funded payout offered to Ms Higgins in late 2022 had the effect of 'publicly affirming' Ms Higgins' allegations against her. As a result, she argues to clear her name she then had to sue Ms Higgins for defamation in a civil lawsuit in the WA Supreme Court. The civil defamation case lodged in the WA Supreme Court was concluded in September but no judgment has been made and Justice Paul Tottle has reserved his decision. In legal documents lodged with the Federal Court, Senator Reynolds says the commonwealth was in breach of its duty to act in her best interests when it settled Ms Higgins' claim after a one day mediation. The mediation follows around 12 months of discussions between Ms Higgins legal advisers and the Commonwealth, a process that was delayed by the criminal trial. Taxpayers paid for legal advice for Senator Reynolds and Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash in the original negotiations over the compensation claim for Ms Higgins because it was an issue that arose in the course of their work as ministers. But Senator Reynolds is now taking legal action against those lawyers– including for negligence – against law firm HWL Ebsworth which acted for the commonwealth in the case. Senator Reynolds' has long argued that the Commonwealth threatened to not to pay her legal fees and any costs awarded if she attended the mediation. As a result she agreed not to attend the mediation despite the fact that she wished to do so. As a result of that decision the Defence Minister argues she was unable to dispute any of Ms Higgins' allegations in her compensation claim. Last month, Senator Reynolds told The Australian newspaper that the commonwealth and its lawyers had been 'hopelessly conflicted'. 'The Attorney-General and his ministers had been such staunch public supporters of Ms Higgins, politicising her untested, unsubstantiated and untrue allegations against me and it is impossible to reconcile how they considered they could act in my best interests and advocate for me in those circumstances,' Senator Reynolds said. 'Ms Higgins' allegations concerning me were entirely defensible but in settling the claim against me it sent a message to the nation that those allegations were so true, so damning, so abhorrent that the commonwealth was prepared to pay her $2.445 million after only a single instance of mediation, in a single day for proceedings not yet filed and quite possibly statute barred. 'That settlement validated the sustained defamation and fuelled further defamation which I have been forced to defend and prosecute, at great personal and financial cost.' She confirmed she had appointed her own lawyers Clayton Utz, to help defend Ms Higgins's claims. However, she says the Commonwealth took over the claim on behalf of Senator Reynolds and their solicitors, HWL Ebsworth, were appointed to her. Senator Reynolds' lawyers had written to HWL Ebsworth stating their concerns and pointing out that 'the plain conflict of interest by reason of the public support offered to Ms Higgins and her version of events by the Attorney-General and other approving Ministers'. In her statement of claim, Senator Reynolds' notes that Ms Higgins was permitted to extend her claim beyond the one-year limitation period, which was due to expire on December 6, 2022. A 27-page annexure to the statement of claim outline multiple examples where Senator Reynolds says the evidence is contrary to Ms Higgins' particulars of liability concerning Ms Reynolds. A spokesperson for HWL Ebsworth has previously declined to comment while the matter was ongoing. In a separate action, Senator Reynolds' former chief of staff, Fiona Brown has lodged a fair work case against the commonwealth.
SBS Australia
07-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Midday News Bulletin 7 May 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT: Anthony Albanese deciding on the shape of his second term government as MPs meet in Canberra; At least three dead in missile strikes on Pakistan-controlled Kashmir; Jarryd Hayne making his official return to rugby league. Labor MPs will meet in Canberra this week to decide on the shape of its second term government. The current top-line leadership members are expected to remain in their portfolios - but Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt has told Seven's Sunrise it's up to the Prime Minister as to who will fill the various positions on offer. "We do have an umpire, and his name is the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. So I think he'll do a good job of sort of shaping this. The way it's going to work is that we'll all get together on Friday in Canberra as a caucus to decide who will be elected into the ministry, and then it's a hundred percent up to the Prime Minister to decide who goes into what role." Meanwhile, post-election fighting is continuing in the losing coalition party, with some experts saying the Liberals risk moving into permanent opposition unless they can fix their issue with women. Retired senator Linda Reynolds is amongst a group of senior Liberals urging the party to learn from previous reviews, which found the party was failing to adequately represent the values and priorities of women. . More than a dozen seats remain too close to call as final counting continues after this year's federal election. Independent Zoe Daniel is projected to lose the Melbourne seat of Goldstein to Liberal Tim Wilson by a few hundred votes, a dramatic shift from the weekend, in which Ms Daniel gave a victory speech to her supporters after thinking she had secured re-election. In the Sydney seat of Bradfield, Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian has taken the lead. In Kooyong, Monique Ryan's lead remains slim. . To the next story - and a warning that it may be distressing for some listeners: A colourful collection of toys, flowers and candles have been set up in the New South Wales town of Coonabarabran in tribute to two brothers who were found dead in a home there on Monday afternoon. A 66 year old woman identified by police as the boys grandmother remains in a mental health facility in Orange after the grim discovery, but has not been charged. Police say the grandmother was the sole carer of the boys and had moved to the town around 11 months ago. Western Region assistant commissioner Andrew Holland says the scene was confronting for first responders. "They've had to force entry to the house. They were first confronted with the death or sorry, the body of a young six year old boy who was located in the front bedroom. They then located the 66 year old woman who had attempted self-harm in that location. She was immediately placed under arrest at that time. And then from that point, police did a further search of the house and located the second young child." . Pakistan has vowed to respond to a series of missile strikes from India that have killed at least three people. Local media say officials have launched strikes in retaliation, but there have been no details provided about the nature of those. India's offensive has occurred amid heightened tensions in the aftermath of an attack on Hindu tourists in Kashmir last month, when Islamist assailants killed 26 men in the worst violence targeted at civilians in India in nearly two decades. Witnesses say the missiles struck nine locations in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan's eastern Punjab province. "We heard 5 to 6 huge blasts over there. After this panic spread among the people, and now we have been told to evacuate the area. This fire coming from the Indian side.' . Friedrich Merz has been elected Germany's new chancellor. The conservative leader has been voted in thanks to a second ballot, hours after he failed to win a first round in parliament in an historic defeat. The 69 year old is vowing to prioritise European unity and the continent's security during his term. . Australians are being warned to get vaccinated before the peak of the flu season. Health officials say those considered at high risk are among those who should get immunised, including young children, the elderly, pregnant women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There has been an unusual spike already in cases across the country, with more than 71,000 flu cases reported since January 1. University of Sydney Public Health scientist Julie Leask says influenza vaccination rates in Australia are dire - but it's not always reluctance to vaccinate that is to blame. "It's also access to free, convenient services and systems that really work for people, where you bring the vaccines to the people, where you remind them, where you encourage them." . To sport, Jarryd Hayne's six-and-a-half-year exile from rugby league is over. The former Parramatta No.1 will play for Wentworthville today in the Ron Massey Cup, a third tier open age competition.
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas says 'everything on table' to increase party's female MPs
WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas has committed to doing "whatever it takes" to increase the party's female members, not ruling out 50:50 quotas for candidate preselection at the next state election. His comments came as several elders in the Liberal Party reflected on its "women problem" in their post-mortems of the election thrashing, including retiring senator Linda Reynolds who on Monday labelled the defeat a "comprehensive failure". Linda Reynolds says the Liberal Party has a problem attracting female candidates. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) Mr Zempilas admitted the party's federal problems also exist in WA. "It is very clear, it is impossible to dispute, we do not have enough women who are part of the WA Liberal Party team," Mr Zempilas told the ABC. "That is a fact that cannot be ignored." 'Looking at everything' It's something Mr Zempilas said he plans to address by "looking at everything" — including 50:50 quotas at the 2029 state election. "I understand quotas are difficult to implement with our preselection system, and I understand the view that they are 'un-Liberal like', but my view is where we are today, everything has to be on the table," he said. " That has to include a genuine and serious conversation about quotas if that's what it will take to get greater female representation. " The idea of quotas had been rejected by the party in the past, Photo shows peter dutton jacob greber piece The Liberal Party has been told it has a women problem for years now, but you only have to look at its results in Western Australia to see how it's still struggling to make progress. Mr Zempilas said he has spoken with his state Liberal colleagues who all have a "huge appetite" to increase the party's relevance, starting with its uptake of female members. "That seems to be the issue at the moment for the WA Liberal Party and for the Liberal Party more broadly: are we connecting with enough people to be able to demonstrate to them that we're speaking their language, we know what they need, we understand the sort of leadership that they want?" he said. "That is the problem at the moment, so relevance, a relevant message, relevant policy, relevant candidate selection." Mr Zempilas said that started with its uptake of female members. The Liberals currently hold seven lower house seats in the WA parliament, but only two are held by females — deputy leader of the opposition Libby Mettam being one, and Cottesloe MP Sandra Brewer the other. Sandra Brewer is one of two Liberal members in the lower house of WA's parliament. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) "I want to see more female candidates, and I want to see more women elected into the parliamentary Liberal Party," Mr Zempilas said. "I would like to lead a Liberal Party in the Parliament of Western Australia that is as close to, or perhaps even past, a 50:50 gender split." Mr Zempilas did however note work has already begun to improve the party's make-up. "I do know out of the review that took place after the 2021 [state] election, there was a significant emphasis placed on recruiting more female candidates," he said. Basil Zempilas says the Liberal Party has a lot of work to do. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke ) "I know there has been a program run that's been done to identify female candidates and then to mentor them, to assist with fundraising and to assist with the preselection process." Leadership challenge 'brutal' While that is a strong commitment, there are members of the public who view Mr Zempilas himself as a contributor to the problem. Mr Zempilas took over from Ms Mettam soon after the state poll in March, following her announcement she would not seek re-election because she didn't have the support of the party. "I had private conversations with my colleagues but it is very clear that my colleagues were seeking a new direction of the Liberal Party going forward," Ms Mettam said at the time. But it wasn't the first time her leadership was challenged. Photo shows Ken Wyatt looks directly at the camera on a suburban street. A former Liberal elder who quit the party after leaving federal parliament lashes his previous colleagues, urging them to become more inclusive in the wake of another bruising election result. In November, leaked polling which showed the Liberals' primary vote could be 7 per cent higher with Mr Zempilas as leader prompted a party room challenge — something Mr Zempilas has denied being involved with. Nevertheless, the polling was something Ms Mettam described as "brutal" for the party. "All of those things can be said [that the polling undermined Ms Mettam], the fact of the matter is after the most recent state election the leader of the Liberal Party stood down … and then at that point I put my hand up and was elected unopposed," he said. Leadership tussle aside, Mr Zempilas said as leader he's "championing more women in our parliament representing the Liberal Party" as a top priority. "We need to pick great female candidates and we need to put them in seats where they can win," he said. Elders agree Mr Zempilas's comments echo "Ten years ago I was part of a review into gender … and we recommended targets and how to get there without quotas," Ms Reynolds said on Monday. "That's been the Liberal Party policy for 10 years but it's just sat on a shelf." Election fallout and analysis: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Mr Wyatt agreed the party needs to "I have seen it in my party when I was a member, women offering ideas but the ideas not being accepted," Mr Wyatt said. "But then later, that same idea being offered up by a male and being accepted." Liberals sources told the ABC the party has a brand and image problem and needs more strong female candidates preselected for state and federal seats. Having trouble seeing this form? Try Loading
ABC News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberal Party still hampered by continuing lack of female representation
The Liberal Party has been told it has a women problem for years now. But you only have to look at its results in Western Australia to see how it is struggling to make progress. In the west, the party ran candidates in all 16 of the state's federal seats. Just four were women, compared to Labor's eight. Only one of them will be going to Canberra, incumbent Durack MP Melissa Price. The other three were selected to run for seats considered unwinnable. In the six seats where the Liberals considered themselves competitive, all candidates were men. In contrast, Labor had a 50-50 split between men and women among its candidates. Michaelia Cash is WA's only female Liberal representative in the Senate. ( ABC News: Ian Cutmore ) It's not much better for the Liberals in the Senate where Michaelia Cash is the state's only female Liberal representative, albeit a senior one. Photo shows Former Liberal Senator and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds speaks about the Liberals 2025 federal election defeat Retiring Liberal senator Linda Reynolds labels the party's federal election campaign a "comprehensive failure", and blasts it for not doing more to increase female representation. The problem hasn't escaped attention among some in the party, including outgoing Senator Linda Reynolds. She described her frustration at working on a gender review for the party a decade ago, which she said "just sat on a shelf". "As a female, all I see in the Liberal Party is an ocean of males," one listener texted in to ABC Radio Perth during a discussion involving Ms Reynolds. Linda Reynolds says the Liberals have to understand why women have turned away from them. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) "I totally agree," she replied. Not just a federal problem A similar issue can be seen at a state level. Of the six new Liberals elected to the lower house of state parliament, only one — Cottesloe MP Sandra Brewer — was a woman. Successful Liberal state election candidate Sandra Brewer watches on as Libby Mettam gives her concession speech at the March election. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) In fairness to the party, that seat was as safe as they got. Even still, the other five new lower house Liberal MPs were men. Four years ago, the party's review of its diabolical 2021 election result found "the current representation is inadequate, is detrimental to the full potential of the party, is inconsistent with our values and must be addressed". Photo shows A close-up of Peter Dutton looking slightly past the camera The Liberals' 2022 election review couldn't be clearer. What is less comprehensible is the party's decision to initiate a policy reform in the 2025 campaign that could not have been better designed to infuriate women. "Until this is accepted by all members, nothing will change," the reviewers wrote. At both the state and federal elections, as the numbers show, little changed in the pre-selection of candidates and so little has changed in the result. But it wasn't always this way. "When the Liberal Party was formed, we were the progressive national party," Ms Reynolds said. "Not as in progressive now as we understand it as more woke, but progressive as standing for women. "And in fact until 2001 the majority of Australian women voted for the Liberal Party, and that seems almost inconceivable now. "So we have to understand why women have turned away from our party and change." The hard path forward The party's post-mortem of its federal loss in 2022 identified a number of issues. "A sense that the Liberal Party is failing to adequately represent the values and priorities of women" and "a lack of confidence that women within the party would be encouraged to hold leadership positions" topped the list. Perceptions like that are difficult to turn around, even with concerted action. And views of the issue's importance differ within the party. Melissa Price says for her female representation is not at the top of the list of issues the Liberals need to address. ( ABC News: Chris Lewis ) "We need to look at it seriously but, you know, I don't think that's the only thing we need to look at seriously," was the view of the WA Liberals' sole federal lower house MP, Melissa Price, speaking on ABC WA Regional Drive. " There's a lot of red flags with this election that I would say female representation wouldn't be at the top for me. " Ms Price pointed to the number of female candidates the party had at both the state and federal elections as a sign of progress but acknowledged not all won their seats. Regardless of where its importance is ranked, there is a path forward. Supporters of Tangney Liberal candidate Howard Ong listen to Peter Dutton conceding defeat on Saturday night. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke ) "The continued lack of progress on gender parity suggests the Liberal Party needs to do more to actively engage with the women who are already active members of the party and engage with leaders across civic and political organisations that already exist within the community," La Trobe University PhD candidate Phoebe Hayman wrote in The Conversation last week. "Members may be their most important resource in achieving parliamentary gender parity. "However, achieving this means first having women in the room." Many Liberal supporters were shocked by the election outcome. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) Of course, that is significantly easier said than done, especially when the party risks locking itself in a downward spiral in which fewer women put their hands up because of the poor experiences of those who have gone before them. One silver lining of that recommended road ahead though is that the party engaging with community leaders would have a dual benefit — increasing its chances of recruiting more women, and bringing it closer to understanding what the community wants from its representatives. A 'sliding doors' moment Another benefit, some would hope, of that shift would be stemming the tide of women who might have otherwise been Liberal candidates running as teal independents. Often put in that group is Kate Chaney says many women don't believe the Liberal Party represents them. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke ) Liberal blood runs through her veins. Her uncle is Fred Chaney, the former federal deputy Liberal leader, and her grandfather, Fred Chaney Snr, was a minister in the Menzies government. While Chaney said on Monday she never considered going into politics before running as an independent, she recognised the party's problems with women. "When the Liberal Party knocked back Julie Bishop [for leader] and chose Scott Morrison instead, I think that was a sliding doors moment," she said. "And a lot of women looked at that point and thought, 'this does not look like a party that represents me'." The party's decision to pick Scott Morrison over Julie Bishop has been called a "sliding doors moment". ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) Despite the threat it poses to her political future, even Chaney hopes the party can "have a good look at what a pathway into politics looks like for women" and avoid irrelevance by representing more Australians. Only a 'small window to act' While there are many facets to the Liberal Party's demolition at the election, the solution to winning back support is simple. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Be more relevant to voters. Understanding half the population and properly representing them is a big part of that equation. The party cannot say it has not been warned about the task ahead. "The only way the Liberal Party can win enough seats to form majority government again is to win back the support of women," Reynolds wrote in support of gender quotas after the 2022 election. "The quiet approach has not worked. "We have a small window to act, and we must." Time will only shrink that window further. Any progress, or lack of action, is a choice made by its membership. Loading
