Brittany Higgins claims that a private journal entry she provided to authorities investigating alleged rape by a fellow parliamentary worker has been exposed to the media in violation of her privacy.
Saturday’s edition of The Australian made reference to the contents of the diary, which detailed March 2021 meetings with a number of journalists and former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The publication also includes an interview with former minister Linda Reynolds, in which she claims she was the target of a “very well-orchestrated political hit” intended to bring her and the coalition government at the time to its knees.
In 2019, Ms Higgins accused co-worker Bruce Lehrmann of committing a rape against her in Ms Reynolds’ office at Parliament House.
Due to jury misconduct, Mr. Lehrmann’s criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court was cut short in October.
Afterwards, the charges were withdrawn due to worries about how a second trial might affect Ms. Higgins’ mental health.
Mr. Lehrmann disputes the rape allegation, claiming that he and Ms. Higgins have never had sexual contact.
Ms. Higgins stated in a series of tweets on Saturday that she sent police with a snapshot of a page from her 2021 diary for their investigation.
She stated, “I voluntarily provided this evidence to the police to assist them in preparing their brief of evidence, but none of it was presented in court.”
Hence, no journalist ought to have viewed the photograph of my diary.
Ms. Higgins stated that this is the third time that confidential information from her phone has been published.
Stop publishing my phone’s private contents. She stated, “I gave the police my private information for the sole purpose of assisting their investigation… nothing else.”
Mr. Lehrmann’s trial heard testimony regarding the following: When she met with Ms. Higgins after the alleged attack, Ms. Reynolds was primarily concerned about how the claimed rape would affect the forthcoming federal election.
At the trial, Ms. Reynolds categorically disputed the accusation, telling The Australian that it was “like a stake through my heart.”
She told the newspaper that Brittany’s story was ideal for the MeToo movement and for her Senate colleagues who were attempting to bring down the administration.
Mr. Lehrmann is suing various media outlets for their coverage of the alleged rape, while the ACT government has established an independent investigation into how police, prosecutors, and a victims’ support organization handled Ms. Higgins’ complaint.
Last year, Ms. Higgins secured a confidential deal with the Commonwealth, reportedly worth several million dollars, regarding her accusations of sexual harassment and discrimination in parliament.
»Brittany Higgins asserts that her journal was leaked to the media«