Opposition Leader Peter Dutton urges Anthony Albanese to ‘come clean’ after leaked Brittany Higgins texts emerge
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has urged Anthony Albanese to “front up” over the entanglement of senior Labor figures in the Brittany Higgins saga.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has urged Anthony Albanese to “come clean” and “front up” over the entanglement of senior Labor figures in the Brittany Higgins saga.
The Prime Minister, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek were all in contact with Ms Higgins after the story broke but new text messages leaked to media outlets are raising new questions.
“The Prime Minister obviously has to front up and provide a true factual explanation of what’s going on here because there are different accounts,” Mr Dutton told 2GB.
“Until we know the facts, we won’t know the answers to all the questions that need to be answered and the Prime Minister and others given different statements at different points.
“It seems that some of that may be conflicting now. So I think the prime minister just needs to be honest.”
During the interview, host Ray Hadley conceded they were only hearing one side of the conversation because in the texts Mr Sharaz is relaying a conversation with Mr Albanese.
“Either David Sharaz is lying or exaggerating, or the PM is lying and so is Katy Gallagher ... these are the only two options,’’ he said.
Mr Albanese said he was never approached by Lisa Wilkinson before the story broke.
“I had not met Brittany Higgins until I met her publicly - publicly - on the same day that she met Scott Morrison,’’ he said.
But Mr Dutton said what we were now seeing was the tip of the iceberg.
“I think we’re only just seeing the start of what lays behind the scenes here and I think there are a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he told 2GB.
“The Prime Minister obviously has to front up and provide a true factual explanation of what’s going on here because there’s different accounts.
“But it just seems that as each day goes by, there are more questions than there are answers and I think that’s creating a lot of suspicion understandably.
“That’s why I think if Katy Gallagher and the Prime Minister can just be honest with their involvement … then the matter will be resolved more quickly.”
The Liberal Leader said the facts needed to be established as it was clear “some people haven’t been telling the truth”
“It just seems to me that on all the evidence available at the moment we’ve got very senior figures within the Albanese government that have a lot of answers to provide.”
Explosive texts leaked
Mr Dutton’s comments come after leaked texts suggested Senator Gallagher was tipped off about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation before the story broke and raises questions over previous statements she made about the extent of her knowledge.
The texts, obtained by The Australian, were provided by Ms Higgins to police during the criminal investigation.
They were subsequently shared with police, the DPP and Bruce Lehrmann’s defence team before being leaked to the media by an unknown source without Ms Higgins’ consent.
The texts suggest Ms Higgins’ boyfriend David Sharaz, a former journalist, was in contact with now-Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
Albo rejects claims he was approached
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejects claims that he was enlisted by Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz as a “friendly MP”.
Asked whether he had been contacted by Channel 10’s Lisa Wilkinson or anyone else associated with Ms Higgins to publicise the case in question time he responded “No.”
However, the text messages obtained by The Australian suggest Mr Sharaz was in contact with Mr Albanese, although not until April, 2021.
On April 16, 2021 Mr Sharaz texted Ms Higgins: “So Albo gave me his number – he just came in to do the breakfast show – and says if you meet with ScoMo to let him know and he’ll fly to Canberra to be there if you want to meet with him too.”
Ms Higgins responded: “For sure. I have no qualms meeting with Albo.”
Higgins’ secret multimillion-dollar payout ‘absolutely standard’
Meanwhile, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has declared a multimillion-dollar payout to Ms Higgins was “absolutely standard” - dismissing calls to unlock the confidentiality clauses on how much was paid.
Amid calls to refer the matter to the anti-corruption commission, Mr Dreyfus said there was nothing unusual with the payout despite the complaints for Ms Higgins former employer Senator Reynolds.
News.com.au understands lawyers for Ms Higgins were negotiating the payout for nearly a year before the matter was resolved.
Critics have seized on the fact the mediation talks which typically occur at the end of the process were resolved in one day.
“The decision that I made to settle this claim was entirely in accordance with the legal services direction that applied to the settlement of this kind of case for decades,” Mr Dreyfus told Nine.
“It’s absolutely standard that, in some cases, there’s confidentiality. That’s what’s happened here.”
Leaked correspondence suggests lawyers acting for Ms Higgins originally wanted up to $3 million.
She did not get that amount and the final payout is unknown but it is believed to be in the millions. It was kept confidential at Ms Higgins’ request.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of Ms Higgins over the payout.
Mr Dreyfus said it was normal for some matters to be settled before the case proceeds to a trial.
“It’s absolutely the norm for there to be meditations before trial so as to attempt to settle a dispute.”
Indeed, this was the case in the payout to former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller who worked for Liberal MP Alan Tudge.
She received a payout of $650,000 after mediated talks and without ever lodging a claim in Fair Work or another court.
Mr Dreyfus also said Finance Minister Katy Gallagher had nothing to do with the payout and was not involved in the negotiations.
“The minister had no part to play,” Mr Dreyfus said.
The Liberal Leader said the facts needed to be established as it was clear “some people haven’t been telling the truth”
“It just seems to me that on all the evidence available at the moment we’ve got very senior figures within the Albanese government that have a lot of answers to provide.”
Calls to refer payout for investigation
Former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds will contact the new anti-corruption commission to ask it to investigate the Government’s decision to award compensation to Brittany Higgins.
Senator Reynolds has long complained the compensation claim – first revealed by news.com.au – was paid without allowing her to participate in the mediation process or dispute the claim.
2GB host Ben Fordham said that Senator Reynolds has confirmed the matter will be sent to the anti corruption watchdog for consideration.
“In order for this to be investigated by the new anti-corruption body someone will need to refer it,” Mr Fordham said.
“We can reveal that if nobody else refers it Linda Reynolds will.”
Shortly after the trial collapsed last year, Ms Higgins’ lawyers indicated she was ready for mediation talks.
Senator Reynolds said she was sent correspondence by the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus indicating if she wanted to be part of the mediation they might not have access to Commonwealth legal assistance.
The mediation settled the case shortly after the trial.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher grilled
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has repeatedly stated she had nothing to do with the compensation payout and was kept at arms length from the process.
She was mentioned by Ms Higgins' partner David Sharaz in a five hour recorded off the record chat with Lisa Wilkinson in 2021.
Speaking on Radio National, ABC broadcaster Hamish McDonald said: “Your name has been mentioned in several reports in recent days relating to Brittany Higgins’ allegations in an audio recording her partner David Sharaz said ‘I’ve got a friend in labour, Katy Gallagher.’
“I want to give you the opportunity to respond on the record – are you comfortable with that association and that description?’” he asked.
“Look, I have nothing further to add to this, Hamish,” she replied.
“I’ve been very clear with those that are reporting this story about my responsibilities and how they relate.
“Particularly, it’s been raised in relation to a settlement or a compensation package in relation to Ms Higgins and that I had absolutely no role in that at all, and I think that’s all I need to say.”
Senator Reynolds accuses top prosecutor of ‘breaching her human rights’
It comes after Ms Reynolds accused the ACT’s top prosecutor of breaching her human rights by criticising her in a letter he sent in the aftermath of Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial.
In a submission to the ACT board of inquiry, the Liberal senator accused Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC of causing her “distress and harm”.
It follows a dramatic courtroom confrontation last year, when Mr Drumgold sought permission to treat her as a hostile witness and accused her of offering “cross-examination tips” to the defence lawyer for the accused Bruce Lehrmann.
Mr Lehrmann pleaded not guilty, was never convicted and the charge was ultimately dropped based on advice that a second trial posed a risk to Ms Higgins’ mental health.
In the aftermath, Mr Drumgold wrote a letter to the ACT AFP commissioner Neil Gaughan where he described the events of the trial as “disturbing”.
The letter was subsequently released under freedom of information laws to journalists.
In the correspondence, Mr Drumgold said Senator Reynolds’ partner was regularly seen conferencing with the defence “during the course of the entire trial”.
“During the conduct of the trial, a number of disturbing events have occurred, including prosecution witness [redacted] firstly giving evidence directly contradictory to her chief of staff, then directly soliciting transcripts of other evidence to tailor her evidence direct from the defence barrister Steven Whybrow,” he said.
“She further engaged in direct coaching of the defence cross-examination of the complainant by directing them to evidence she should not have access to.”
‘Human rights breach’
In response, Senator Reynolds has told the inquiry that the release of the letter was a breach of her human rights.
“I consider that the disclosure of the Letter by the DPP clearly affected my right not to have my ‘reputation unlawfully attacked,’’’ she said.
“There does not appear to have been any proper or lawful basis for the DPP to attack my reputation in correspondence with the AFP.
“Further, the disclosure of the Letter without such consultation violated my legal right not to have my ‘reputation unlawfully attacked’, pursuant to section 12 (b) of the Human Rights Act.
“I consider that is likely that the relevant decision-maker within the ODPP would have known that their decision to disclose the Letter, without consulting me, was not a decision that was open to them under the FOI Act.
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“Accordingly, having considered this issue, I ask that the Inquiry give consideration to whether the DPP or the relevant decision-maker within the ODPP has committed an offence under section 89 of the FOI Act.
“At the very least, serious consideration should be given to making an adverse finding against the decision-maker and the ODPP that they have committed a breach of the FOI Act.
“I believe that the DPP appears to have violated my legal right not to have my ‘reputation unlawfully attacked’, pursuant to section 12 (b) of the Human Rights Act.”
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