Linda Reynolds retracts ‘lying cow’ comment; Brittany Higgins to receive compensation

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has retracted her “lying cow” comment made against Brittany Higgins and will also pay damages.

Defence Minister a Linda Reynolds has paid damages to alleged rape survivor Brittany Higgins and formally apologised as part of a defamation settlement after calling her former staffer a “lying cow”.

Ms Reynolds, who is currently on medical leave, released a statement on Friday retracting the comments she made in her office and unreservedly apologised to Ms Higgins.

“I wish to further address that comment that I made. I did not mean it in the sense it may have been understood,” Ms Reynolds said in the statement.

“Given that the comment was made public, which I never intended, I also want to retract it and unreservedly apologise to Brittany Higgins and acknowledge the hurt and distress it caused to her.”

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— Linda Reynolds (@lindareynoldswa) March 12, 2021

Ms Reynolds has also paid damages to Ms Higgins, who has said she plans to donate the money to charity.

“I am please that the Minister has now withdrawn her comments and I accept her apology to me,” Ms Higgins said.

“Any monies I have received from the Minister as part of the settlement of my claim against her (over and above my legal costs) will be paid in full to an organisation that provides counselling and support services to survivors of sexual assault and abuse in the Canberra area.

‘PRIME MINISTERS WANT TO KNOW’: BISHOP WEIGHS INTO HIGGINS SCANDAL

Julie Bishop says she is surprised no one told Scott Morrison about former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins rape claims.

Ms Higgins last month claimed she was raped in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds office in 2019.

She has since made a formal statement to the AFP.

Since the story broke a number of people have stepped forward to say they were aware of the allegations after receiving an anonymous letter. Why nobody briefed the prime minister remains unanswered.

Speaking to ABC 7.30, Ms Bishop said the matter should have been raised with the PM.

“In my experience, an allegation of that nature, a serious indictable offence, would have been brought to the attention of the Prime Minister immediately and handled by Prime Minister and Cabinet,” she said.

“It’s the kind of information that prime ministers in my experience want to know about.”

Former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop addresses the alleged toxic culture in parliament. Picture: ABC

Ms Bishop was asked about Senator Reynolds’ handling of Ms Higgins’s case.

“As somebody who has employed many people over many, many years, if someone had come to me with an allegation of rape that occurred, as it turned out in my office but in a workplace for which I’m responsible, I would have felt a duty not only to that person but to others in the workplace to inform the police,” she said.

She also weighed in on the culture within Canberra’s Parliament House and said she was not surprised some women chose not to go public or to police.

“There’s a powerful culture within all political parties to ensure that no individual does anything that would damage the party’s prospects, the party’s image or its reputation, particularly at election time,’’ Ms Bishop said, adding there’s a low tolerance for mistakes.

“There’s so much at stake.”

But she acknowledged things needed to change, particularly in regard to attitudes toward women and confessed a culture had developed over many years.

“If the events of the last few weeks haven’t led political parties to embrace change, I don’t know what has to happen,” she said.

“A culture has developed over many years. I think it‘s embedded in parliament because the environment, the conventions, the protocols, were all established at a time when there were no women in parliament or very few women in parliament.”

Julie Bishop was questioned about the handling of Brittany Higgins’s allegations.

Ms Bishop was also probed about whether she was aware of the group that former Liberal minister Sharman Stone recently claimed had sought to shut down the former foreign affairs minister’s career.

“I believe it was the ‘big swinging d**ks’. So there was obviously an overexcited imagination on the part of some, I would suggest,” Ms Bishop said.

“Nobody self-identified to me, thank goodness for that. But if they were seeking to block my aspirations, well, they didn’t succeed because my ambition was to be the foreign minister of Australia, and I’m very proud to say that I served in that role for five years.

“And likewise I was deputy leader of the party for 11 years. So if their ambition was to thwart my aspirations, then they failed.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was queried on breakfast television about Ms Bishop’s comments and whether the culture needed to change within parliament.

“Well, there certainly is a need to improve and change the culture in parliament … that is why the Prime Minister has reached across the political divide, that is why the sex discrimination commissioner (Kate Jenkins) has been put to work,” he told the Today show.

Derryn Hinch was also asked about the “big swinging d**k” club and agreed Ms Bishop had no support.

“I am very fond of Julie Bishop. But, you are right, she had no support, not even in Western Australia. There must have been something there as well,” he said.

“She was always the bridesmaid, never the bride, but I think she would have made a great governor-general if we had to have one.”

DEFENCE MINISTER EXTENDS SICK LEAVE

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds will not return to work for almost a month after extending her medical leave to April 2.

The embattled minister on Sunday said her cardiologist had advised her to continue her break from duties when she was reassessed on March 2.

“The day after that consultation Senator Reynolds was issued a medical certificate which extended her leave until April 2,” a statement read.

“Senator Reynolds is recuperating well and looks forward to resuming her duties as Defence Minister as soon as possible.”

Liberal senator Linda Reynolds is questioned about Brittany Higgins during Question Time. Picture: APH via NCA NewsWire

Senator Reynolds was this week forced to apologise to her former staffer Brittany Higgins after it was revealed she called her a “lying cow”.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne will continue as acting Defence Minister until Senator Reynolds returns.

Senator Reynolds was last week sent a letter from Ms Higgins’ lawyers demanding an apology for the comments.

“A report in The Australian attributed some remarks to me regarding the very serious allegations made by my former staff member, Ms Brittany Higgins,” Senator Reynolds said.

“I have never questioned Ms Higgins’ account of her alleged sexual assault and have always sought to respect her agency in this matter,” she said.

“In response to a letter from Ms Higgins’ lawyers yesterday afternoon, discussions are now underway through our legal representatives in an effort to resolve this matter as soon as possible, with any resolution to include an apology.

“However, in the meantime, I want to express how deeply sorry I am for these remarks and for any hurt and distress they have caused.”

Minister for Women Marise Payne has said she is distressed and disturbed by the accusations of assault and harassment in parliament.

Speaking at the UN Women Australia event in Sydney, Senator Payne said she believes parliament has the capacity to work together to improve the workplace culture.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ comments about Brittany Higgins. Picture: Getty

“The events of recent weeks have been disturbing, distressing and horrifying to me and to so many Australians,” she said.

“But my concern, my distress is irrelevant and nothing compared to the concern, the distress and the deep, deep damage done to those who have been assaulted or harassed at a workplace.”

Speaking ahead of headline speaker Grace Tame, Senator Payne said she welcomed the announcement of an independent review into the workplace culture.

“The National Parliament is clearly not immune from the sorts of issues that are impacting workplaces around our country … it has to change, it must change, and the only way it will change is if we as parliamentarians own the problems and failings, and make the necessary changes,” Senator Payne said.

Ms Higgins said the comments were “incredibly hurtful” and said the Senator’s language was “inexcusable”.

“It’s just further evidence of the toxic workplace culture”.

That was Ms Higgins’ response to Ms Reynolds.

Staff reported hearing Ms Reynolds making the comments in her office, where Ms Higgins was formerly employed and claims she was sexually assaulted by a colleague in 2019.

“The comments made by Minister Reynolds are incredibly hurtful,’’ Ms Higgins told news.com.au.

Brittany Higgins with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Supplied

“I appreciate that it has been a stressful time but that sort of behaviour and language is never excusable.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the Defence Minister as “offensive” and said her behaviour was “inappropriate and wrong”.

He told The Australian he had spoken to Ms Reynolds, saying, “she knows those comments to have been inappropriate and wrong … And I share her view, obviously, about that.”

But he defended his minister, and said Ms Reynolds had made the comments “in her private office in a stressful week. They weren’t made in a public place and nor were they intended for that. That doesn’t excuse it, not for a second. She made the appropriate apologies to her staff and rectified that.”

Mr Morrison also stressed that Ms Reynolds had not made the comments in relation to Ms Higgins’ claims of sexual assault.

“She was not saying that about that, at all,” Mr Morrison said.

“Her comments, she said to me, related to the further commentary about levels of support provided and her frustrations about how she felt that they were doing everything they believed in their power to provide support. Clearly, over a period of time there was a very different view about that. And we’ve acknowledged that, and that’s why we’re addressing the issues the way that we are.”

Originally published as Linda Reynolds retracts ‘lying cow’ comment; Brittany Higgins to receive compensation