The Project issues rules for Lisa Wilkinson ahead of rape trial court appearance

Ten’s flagship panel show privately issues set of rules for Lisa Wilkinson as she prepares to give evidence in Bruce Lehrmann’s trial.

Lisa Wilkinson is listed as a key witness in the trial, which got underway last week in the ACT Supreme Court. Picture: Channel 10

Ten’s flagship panel show, The Project, has privately issued a series of key “rules” for Lisa Wilkinson to observe as she prepares to give evidence in the trial of the man accused of raping former political staffer Brittany Higgins.

Sources close to The Project have told The Australian that the rules are designed to protect Wilkinson, and help her to avoid any possible legal dramas.

It is understood that the new rules for The Project’s star host have been put in place to avoid any risk of compromising the trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who is accused of the alleged rape of Ms Higgins.

Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent.

Wilkinson is listed as a key witness in the trial, which got underway last week in the ACT Supreme Court.

Brittany Higgins and Lisa Wilkinson.

The Australian has learnt that The Project’s first rule — which Wilkinson apparently already started to observe last week — is that as long as the trial is making news, the star host won’t be reading the headlines on Ten’s flagship panel show.

As a second rule, Wilkinson will not appear on The Project in any way on the days that she is scheduled to give evidence.

However, apart from that exclusion, Wilkinson will — as much as possible — keep to her regular timetable of hosting The Project on Sunday, Thursday and Friday nights.

To eliminate any confusion, The Australian also understands that The Project has advised key on-air personalities — including Wilkinson, Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore — not to engage in discussions about the case other than reading headlines.

Media sources suggest Ten’s decision is a sensible move, given that it is already clear that The Project’s past interactions with Higgins form an important part of the court case.

Already in the first week of the trial, both Wilkinson and The Project have been brought up several times in relation to the show’s recording of their six-hour sit down interview with Higgins on February 2 last year. According to the evidence, The Project’s interview was recorded two days before Higgins contacted police.

At one point in evidence on Friday, Higgins said that she was approached by Wilkinson and her husband, Peter FitzSimons, at an event where FitzSimons offered to act as her agent in March last year.

Ms Higgins told the court that “within a day” of the couple’s approach, FitzSimons had brought her an offer of an advance of $325,000 for a book outlining her experiences.