Rita Panahi: The Australian people were victims of a profound deception where an alleged crime was used to influence an election

The alleged rape of Brittany Higgins was weaponised by Labor and deliberately distorted and exploited by segments of the media. Those who participated in that deception must be held accountable.

Linda Reynolds is a woman on a mission.

The former government minister has been vindicated with successive legal victories but has paid a heavy price to clear her name.

She now wants to bring transparency and a measure of accountability to the Brittany Higgins saga; a shameful period in Australian politics where an alleged rape was weaponised by Labor and deliberately distorted and exploited by segments of the media.

Linda Reynolds wants to bring transparency and a measure of accountability to the Brittany Higgins saga.

Two judges have found that allegations of a cover-up are without foundation.

The latest case concluded in August, with West Australian Supreme Court judge Paul Tottle ruling that Higgins defamed Reynolds and made objectively false statements to bolster an untrue claim of a political cover-up.

The truth is that in the aftermath of the alleged crime, then defence industry minister Reynolds and her chief of staff Fiona Brown conducted themselves with absolute integrity and compassion but were nevertheless cast as callous collaborators in a high level political cover-up.

The lies told about the pair had a devastating impact on the mental and physical health of both women.

Reynolds has spent a small fortune in legal fees to clear her name and despite winning no fewer than four cases and payouts, she remains hundreds of thousands out of pocket and unlikely to receive the damages and fees awarded to her in the WA case given Higgins’ perilous financial position.

Perhaps Higgins and her partner David Sharaz knew that the former staffer’s questionable seven-figure compensation payout would one day be in peril, given the manner in which it was spent; luxury holidays, a lavish wedding and the purchase of a chateau in France, which was sold to cover legal fees.

In less than three years the $2.4m lump sum has been whittled away to less than $50,000, according to media reports.

The Higgins scandal has left the Albanese government on the back foot, with the Prime Minister and senior ministers Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher struggling to answer questions about the debunking of Labor’s cover-up conspiracy.

And yet spineless members of shadow cabinet have failed to pursue a full inquiry.

This is a matter that deserves thorough scrutiny; the Australian people were victims of a profound deception where an alleged crime was used to influence an election.

Those who participated in that deception must be held accountable.

Originally published as Rita Panahi: The Australian people were victims of a profound deception where an alleged crime was used to influence an election