Fresh bombshell: Explosive new details in Brittany Higgins saga

The AFP have revealed Peter Dutton’s office knew about the alleged sexual assault in parliament years earlier than previously disclosed.

The Australian Federal Police have revealed for the first time that Peter Dutton’s office was tipped off about an alleged sexual assault in Parliament House in October, 2019, a date years earlier than previously disclosed.

In a fresh bombshell in the who knew what and when saga, the new date provided by the AFP is years before Mr Dutton maintains he personally learned of the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins in February, 2021.

The 2019 tip-off followed a media query to the AFP after an anonymous whistleblower contacted a media organisation claiming to have details of a sexual assault allegation at Parliament House in the lead-up to Senate estimates in October, 2019.

Then Home Affairs Minister Mr Dutton revealed earlier this year he was personally tipped off by AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw to the allegation that a Liberal staffer was raped in Parliament House on February 11, 2021 under “sensitive investigation” disclosure guidelines because she contacted police six days earlier.

“I was advised on 11 February, and I received updates last week and this week,” he told parliament.

However, the new timeline provided by the AFP suggests Mr Dutton’s own office learned of a sexual assault allegation at parliament years earlier in October, 2019.

RELATED: Nothing has changed two years after alleged rape

Brittany Higgins speaking to the media after meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney last month. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Damian Shaw

The new details are revealed in an AFP response to questions on notice lodged by Labor Senator Kristina Keneally.

Asked to provide details of when the AFP first contacted the office of the former Minister for Home Affairs or Mr Dutton himself about an incident in Senator Linda Reynolds’ office on 23 March 2019, a new timeline was provided.

“In accordance with routine practices, in October 2019 AFP Media notified the then Minister’s office in relation to a media enquiry received by ACT Policing, about an alleged sexual assault at Parliament House,’’ the response states.

The purpose of the discussions was to “inform the Minister’s office that a media inquiry had been received and that ACT Policing was responding”.

The AFP Media team said it contacted officers in the ministerial office but that the contact was not with Mr Dutton directly.

“The first recorded contact with the then Minister for Home Affairs was 11 February 2021,’’ the AFP said.

“The AFP Commissioner had a discussion with the then Minister about the matter. In accordance with routine practices, AFP Media has informed the Minister’s office about media inquiries received in relation to this matter during 2021.”

News.com.au has previously revealed that Ms Higgins unwittingly triggered the process when she contacted the AFP after she quit her job on February 5 to signal she was considering reopening the investigation.

She didn’t know the AFP was duty bound to inform the Home Affairs Minister under new guidelines.

The AFP then held a Sensitive Investigations Board meeting on February 11 that was chaired by AFP deputy commissioner Investigations Ian McArtney.

Mr Dutton was informed of the rape allegation on the same day under the guidelines. The date was just 24 hours before news.com.au lodged questions with Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office.

He did not alert the Prime Minister’s office at the time arguing it involved a sensitive, operational matter.

RELATED: Labor demands answers over Higgins investigation

Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

The Prime Minister has consistently maintained that his office didn’t know about the allegation until news.com.au contacted his media team for comment at 2:30pm on Friday, February 12, and that they didn’t inform him of the allegation until the story was published on February 15.

However, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds knew in March, 2019 and didn’t tell the Prime Minister and the Employment Minister Michaelia Cash learned on February 5, 2021 in an exit interview and also didn’t tell him.

An investigation by Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Phil Gaetjens into who knew what and when in the Prime Minister’s office is ongoing.

New answers to questions on notice also suggest the AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw and Mr Gaetjens had each other on speed dial as the media fallout over the Higgins allegations erupted.

“In the normal conduct of their roles there is a variety of contact between the AFP Commissioner and the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), including in relation national security and Cabinet matters,’’ the AFP response states.

“In relation to discussions about the active criminal investigation, and its potential intersection with the related inquiries led by the PM&C Secretary (and others), the AFP Commissioner and the PM&C Secretary had a number of discussions via telephone, including on: 21 February, 22 February, 9 March, 12 March, 21 March and 22 March.”

RELATED: Dutton calls Higgins allegation ‘he said, she said’

Ms Higgins speaking in Canberra.

The volley of calls also involved discussions over the AFP Commissioner’s letter to Mr Morrison on Wednesday warning MPs of the risks of failing to report crimes.

The phone calls between Mr Kershaw and Mr Gaetjens spiked again when the Prime Minister’s office was sent a 31-page dossier of allegations regarding former Attorney-General Christian Porter.

“On 24 February the AFP Commissioner and the PM&C Secretary had four discussions via telephone relating to the dossier which had been received at Parliament House, its contents, and the Commissioner’s letter to the Prime Minister regarding the appropriate process for referring criminal allegations’’ the AFP said.

“The AFP did not take contemporaneous notes during these calls.”

In further information provided to questions on notice, the AFP revealed that a brief of evidence has not yet been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions in the ACT and the investigation is ongoing.

Ms Higgins said she was saddened to learn in evidence to Senate estimates on Monday that parliament had failed to implement changes in the wake of her call for action, including on signing in intoxicated staff after hours or protocols on calling an ambulance if someone is found unconscious.

“The fact that no changes have been made to the processes and procedures for security inside Parliament House defies belief,’’ she said.

“Mistakes are inevitable. For the department to choose not to act in any way – over the past two years – to improve protocols is downright negligent.

“Honestly, regular licensed venues have more strenuous entry conditions and duty of care to their patrons than Parliament House has to their own staff.”

Originally published as Fresh bombshell: Explosive new details in Brittany Higgins saga