Cash demands answers as new Wilkinson recording surfaces
In the five-hour pre-interview before Brittany Higgins appeared on The Project, she discusses covertly recording her then-boss with Lisa Wilkinson.
Michaelia Cash has demanded Network 10 release the full five-hour recording of a pre-interview with Brittany Higgins in which The Project journalist Lisa Wilkinson discusses with her covertly recording the Liberal senator, who was then her boss.
It previously came to light Ms Higgins secretly recorded a phone call with Senator Cash – the then-employment minister and now opposition legal affairs spokeswoman – shortly after her resignation from Parliament House.
The five-hour leaked recording was made in the days before Ms Higgins appeared on The Project airing allegations she was sexually assaulted by a then unnamed Liberal staffer, now known to be Bruce Lehrmann, who has consistently denied the allegations.
This portion of the conversation between Ms Higgins, her boyfriend David Sharaz, Wilkinson and producer Angus Llewellyn begins with Ms Higgins telling the group her phone had been remotely wiped in the past.
Wilkinson says: “What do you think about on the last day, Brittany saying, ‘Can someone please tell me what happened to my phone? Because all of the data got wiped and that includes all my photos’ … Just to see what their response is.”
Ms Higgins replies: “What’s the validity of me recording any of these conversations, though? Like, if, say, if I did have that conversation, I would feel safer having it recorded. But can I record those sort of conversations?”
Wilkinson directs the question to producer Llewellyn, who explains there are different rules in different states. “Canberra operates, and Parliament House operates … in a wacky, wacky world.”
Ms Higgins says: “Even off the record, just for corroboration’s sake, I’d be willing to record something of that conversation, if that happens. Yeah.”
Llewellyn: “Yeah.”
Speaking over each other, Wilkinson says, “It may mean that we can’t use it … But this is just for your own …” and Ms Higgins says, “Yeah, exactly. And just sort of, for your background, I guess …”
Llewellyn: “Yeah.”
Ms Higgins: “As like a sort of, a sounding board about what it’s like. I’d do that for you.”
Senator Cash appeared on Sky News on Sunday, fired up after having just read a news report with the leaked recording and said it was “incredibly, incredibly disturbing” that she would entertain any kind of recording of private conversations.
She demanded Channel 10 “formally release the five-hour recording” and said all of Australia had a right to see what went on in that interview.
“That a senior journalist in Lisa Wilkinson, and the producer of The Project, would actively have encouraged a young woman in a distressed situation to basically commit what is considered to be an illegal offence by recording a conversation with another person.
“Personally, I think Channel 10, The Project and Lisa Wilkinson have some very, very serious questions to answer.”
Network 10 said they would not be making any further comment at this time but previously told The Australian there was “no justifiable reason” for the private five-hour conversation to be made public”.
“Network 10 was subpoenaed to provide confidential documents and audio recordings to the DPP and Bruce Lehrmann’s legal team during the criminal case brought against Mr Lehrmann,” a Network 10 spokesman said.
The Australian approached Wilkinson for comment.
In previous days, she said in a statement the private conversation was “not intended to appear as it has out of context and in the public arena”.
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