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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Brittany Higgins' staggering windfall for selling her French chateau is revealed - as she scores a job despite being awarded 40 years in lost wages over being medically unfit to work
Brittany Higgins has landed yet another windfall after selling her taxpayer-funded French chateau within days of announcing a plush new gig. Higgins and her husband David Sharaz purchased the three-bed, two-bath estate, about 100km east of Bordeaux in south-west France, in 2023. The exact closing price was not clear but followed repeated cuts to the asking price from €420,000 (AU$682,820) last year to €350,000 (AU$600,000) earlier this year. While they were widely tipped to sell the property at a loss after repeatedly lowering the listing price, it will no doubt have improved the couple's financial outlook. Not least because it came within days of Higgins announcing she would return to the workforce at boutique PR agency Third Hemisphere. She shared the announcement in the Australian Financial Review alongside a caption reading: 'Your girl is finally back in the workforce!' Higgins took the job, where Sharaz also works, despite four years earlier receiving a government settlement which included a $1.48million payout for lost earning capacity. 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. Ms Higgins shared the news of her appointment on Instagram with the caption: 'Your girl is finally back in the workforce!' 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, it was stated that she had a 'reasonable expectation of being promoted regularly and to eventually pursue her own political career, before suffering from the injuries and disabilities'. She had been 'diagnosed as medically unfit for any form of employment, and has been given a very poor prognosis for future employment'. The claims were untested in court given Ms Higgins was awarded the $2.4million by payout after one day of mediation talks. More than half of the sum was in respect of her loss of earnings, while the rest was made up of medical expenses, legal costs and '$400,000 for hurt, distress and humiliation'. The couple purchased the house using the proceeds of the settlement, of which she said she retained about $1.9million after taxes and fees. Within months, the couple were forced to list the property for sale to meet her legal costs in the ongoing defamation suit brought by her former boss, Linda Reynolds. A verdict has yet to be handed down for Ms Reynolds' defamation suit against Ms Higgins which concluded in September last year following a five-week trial. Higgins wrote on Wednesday she was 'so excited to be the new Director of Public Affairs for the female-founded public relations agency'. 'It was so personally important to me that wherever I ended up working had values that aligned with my own,' she said. 'To be in a workplace run by a fellow survivor and someone who fundamentally believes in the importance of corporate social responsibility is an absolute delight.' Senator Reynolds launched a separate legal action against the Commonwealth in April claiming it failed to act in her best interests in reaching the settlement. In a statement released at the time, Senator Reynolds said the payout 'sent a message' that Higgins' claims, including that her then-boss had failed to support her following the rape allegations, were true.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Roxy Jacenko confirms she has dropped controversial Married At First Sight star Adrian Araouzou from her PR roster after less than a week
Adrian Araouzou has found himself without a PR agent just a week after landing one of the best in the business. The controversial Married At First Sight star has been dropped from Roxy Jacenko 's Ministry of Talent agency just days after being signed. While the PR maven would not be drawn on the reason Adrian was ditched, Jacenko told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday: 'I can confirm Adrian is not represented by The Ministry of Talent.' Adrian sparked rumours that he had parted ways with the public relations titan when he removed Ministry of Talent from his TikTok bio this week. The reality star also no longer appears on Ministry Of Talent's website. 'There are no hard feelings. I understand what it is' Adrian told Yahoo Lifestyle on Tuesday. Adrian earlier told the publication that he wanted to move on from the show that made him famous. 'I plan on dissociating anything to do with MAFS,' he said. 'I enjoy creating content, so I'll continue to keep on doing that just like I was doing before the show' Adrian continues. 'I have other business ventures that I would like to explore and see where life takes me. I am an open book right now.' The groom, who has been a controversial figure during his time on the show, was announced as a new member of Roxy's exclusive roster last week. 'Thrilled to announce that @ is now represented by The Ministry of Talent for social media collabs and appearances!' a post on Instagram read. 'Get in touch for opportunities' it added, while sitting alongside a series of photos of the reality star. Adrian briefly joined the likes of tennis WAG Costeen Hatzi and fellow reality star Ash Pollard as a Ministry Of Talent member. It comes a day after he was caught out making a very embarrassing fashion faux pas. The controversial 2025 groom, 30, was hobnobbing with Australia's haute couture elite on Monday at fashion icon Carla Zampatti's Australian Fashion Week show at the MCA in Sydney. Arriving at the glittering event, Adrian was stopped on the red carpet by So Sydney. 'Is this our very first fashion week ever,' Adrian said. 'I don't know what to expect. I've never heard of it, to be honest. I'm not gonna lie.' Pressed to clarify, Adrian was then asked if he was referring to Carla Zampatti or Australian Fashion Week in general. 'Both,' he replied matter-of-factly. Despite Adrian's ignorance of the milieu he found himself in, the reality star was confident of a 'good night.' 'I'm open to plans after, but I have none at the moment - I'm expecting a good night,' he said. 'Just meeting some people and have a look of [sic] what's going on in fashion, I guess.' Adrian was then asked about his 'fit' for the event and he admitted he threw his ensemble together at the last minute. 'This is not my best fit,' he admitted. 'I got a ticket late last night at 10:30[pm], so I had to put something together.' Adrian offered a cheeky comment about So Sydney's inability to gain access to the event with: 'I'll buy you a ticket next time.' However, one fan suggested that the reality star may have trouble securing a ticket to the 2026 event with a sarcastic, 'next time,' and a slew of laughing face emojis. Adrian also recently denied claims he cheated on his TV bride Awhina Rutene while filming the Channel Nine dating show. He told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, he didn't have sex with another woman while on the show after Awhina accused him of leaving their apartment to spend time with another female. 'Absolutely not. As if I would need to go have sex with someone in that space of filming,' he said. 'I was out for a mates birthday and went past mine to grab a few things then went back to the apartment,' Adrian explained. He claimed Awhina had also been invited to join him but decided to spend time with fellow bride Beth Kelly instead.
