Lisa Wilkinson rejects suggestions she 'coached' Brittany Higgins for The Project appearance

Lisa Wilkinson has rejected suggestions she 'coached' Brittany Higgins before her TV appearance about why she didn't pursue police charges after her alleged rape.

Lisa Wilkinson arrives at the Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Welcome to The Australian's coverage of Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson. The hearing has been adjourned until Friday morning, when Wilkinson is due to complete her evidence

Live Updates

4:50 pm December 14, 2023

Key points from the day's evidence

Joanna Panagopoulos

• Lisa Wilkinson rejected the suggestion that her “pride and ego” were put ahead of Bruce Lehrmann’s right to a fair trial when she made a Logies speech in mid-June 2022, eight days before the start of his rape trial, praising Brittany Higgins’ “unwavering courage”. After much questioning she agreed that the implication of her speech was that it was a “true allegation of rape against a guilty man”;

• Ms Wilkinson said she thought there was a “credibility issue” with the fact Ms Higgins no longer had crucial messages because her phone died but still had an image of a bruise she claimed was caused by the alleged rape, and “escalated” it up the chain of command at Network Ten;

• Ms Wilkinson denied she was “not objective” when it came to Senator Linda Reynolds and the allegations Ms Higgins’ made about her former boss, when asked about the comment she made in a five-hour pre-interview with Ms Higgins: “I’ve so got her (Senator Reynolds) in my sights”;

• Ms Wilkinson said she thought Senator Reynolds and her chief of staff Fiona Brown were part of a “systemic cover up” of Ms Higgins’ rape allegations';

• Ms Wilkinson denied The Project episode conveyed Ms Brown as a “vile apparatchik” and a “monster”. The episode included comments about her being “caring” and that she gave Ms Higgins the “rest of the day off” after they spoke;

• Ms Wilkinson said the allegation in The Project episode, which is the subject of defamation proceedings, that Ms Higgins was “forced to choose between her career and the pursuit of justice” was about Ms Higgins putting “pressure … on herself”;

• Ms Wilkinson has rejected suggestions she “coached” Ms Higgins to answer certain questions in an off-the-record chat where she said: “I don’t want to put words in your mouth but if you can enunciate the fact that this place is all about suppression of people’s natural sense of justice”.

4:25 pm December 14, 2023

Wilkinson denies 'coaching' Higgins on answers

Joanna Panagopoulos

Lisa Wilkinson has rejected suggestions she “coached” Brittany Higgins to answer certain questions.

In an off-the-record conversation, Ms Wilkinson says to Ms Higgins: “The answer you really need to think about is why didn’t you press charges.”

“I have every confidence that you will answer that very eloquently, but it’s one you just need to really think about.

“Speak about the culture that, you know, I don’t want to put words in your mouth but if you can enunciate the fact that this place is all about suppression of people’s natural sense of justice.”

Mr Richardson: “I want to suggest that you were attempting to coach Ms Higgins here.”

Ms Wilkinson: “I disagree.”

She also disagreed that it was “inappropriate conduct as a journalist” and she “crossed the line”.

Mr Richardson said that she knew that if Ms Higgins didn’t have a “convincing explanation” for why she hadn’t pursued police charges in 2019 that it could affect her credibility.

Ms Wilkinson responded that she had to understand why she didn’t proceed with a police investigation so she could communicate that to the audience.

4:07 pm December 14, 2023

Wilkinson had concerns about Higgins’ claims

Stephen Rice

During a combative appearance, it’s becoming clear why Lisa Wilkinson wanted her own representation. And it has nothing to do with Network Ten’s lawyers. Read more here

4:04 pm December 14, 2023

Higgins' claim of destroyed footage was 'conspiratorial'

Joanna Panagopoulos

Lisa Wilkinson has agreed that a claim Brittany Higgins made about the CCTV footage being destroyed appeared “conspiratorial”.

In an extended interview with Ms Higgins, Ms Wilkinson asked if in the last two years, she had been able to get access to the CCTV footage.

Ms Higgins responded that she didn’t think she’d “ever see it”.

Ms Wilkinson: “Do you know if it still exists?

Ms Higgins: “No. I have a friend I was talking to sort-of about it, who works in policing. He’s sort of politely brought me back to reality. And said that he assumes it was quietly destroyed at some point.”

Ms Wilkinson agreed it sounded “conspiratorial” and said they didn’t put it to air.

Yet Ms Wilkinson firmly rejected a suggestion from Mr Richardson she didn’t challenge that claim.

He went on: “You accepted every part of the allegation she made without question.”
Ms Wilkinson: “I reject that.”

3:46 pm December 14, 2023

Higgins 'understood the machinations of power'

Joanna Panagopoulos

Lisa Wilkinson said the allegation in The Project interview, that Brittany Higgins was “forced to choose between her career and the pursuit of justice”, was about Ms Higgins putting “pressure … on herself”.

Mr Richardson: “I want to suggest to you that a core part of your program was to allege that Brown and Reynolds had pressured her not to go to the police.”

Ms Wilkinson: “That is not true.”

She referred to the introduction to the story, which states “a young woman forced to choose between her career and the pursuit of justice”.

Ms Wilkinson said: “There’s no mention of any person pressuring her in that introduction. That was pressure that Ms Higgins was putting on herself because she understood the way power and the machinations of power and being a team player, that was pressure that Ms Higgins, put on herself.”

Mr Richardson: “You say that that was the message the program was conveying; that Ms Higgins had put that pressure on herself?”

Ms Wilkinson: “Absolutely.”

Mr Richardson later asked Ms Wilkinson whether she thought viewers would see Ms Brown as the “critical instrument” of her having to make the choice between her career and going to the police.

“I totally disagree,” Ms Wilkinson said.

Earlier, Justice Michael Lee asked Ms Wilkinson whether she believed Ms Higgins thought both Senator Reynolds and Ms Brown were in some way “discouraging her to go to the police”.

Ms Wilkinson pushed back on this.

“No, no, I didn’t think that at all. I thought that Ms Higgins, again reading between the lines … that what Ms Higgins perceived what was happening is that on the one hand, they were two very powerful women in Parliament House, who wanted to make sure she was okay,” she said.

“And I totally believe that they wanted to make sure she was okay, but they’re in a bit of a minefield, as to the timing of this alleged rape having occurred because it was a lead up to an election. And, I believe that both minister Reynolds and Ms Brown were choosing their words very carefully.”

Ms Wilkinson said she thought “they were being very neutral” and not actively encouraging or discouraging her to go to police.

Justice Lee then asked whether her view would have changed if she had been aware that Ms Brown arranged a meeting for Ms Higgins with the AFP, and had taken her down to AFP offices, straight after the meeting.

Ms Wilkinson: “I think Ms Brown would have known that it was very appropriate that she be part of a process that wouldn’t hinder any involvement with the police.”

Justice Lee: “Do you think it’s consistent with a systemic cover up of a rape allegation for someone to escort someone to an AFP office?”

Ms Wilkinson: “I think if Ms Brown had been properly trained in dealing with a survivor of sexual assault, the internal AFP would not have been a place to take them.”

She later said described the internal AFP its own policing unit within Parliament House and “different rules apply in Parliament House”, referring to what was said in the 2021 The Project broadcast. She also said they weren’t properly trained in sexual assault.

3:12 pm December 14, 2023

Linda Reynolds' staffer 'portrayed as a monster'

Joanna Panagopoulos

Lisa Wilkinson has denied The Project episode conveyed Linda Reynolds’ chief of staff Fiona Brown as a “vile apparatchik” and a “monster”.

Ms Wilkinson previously told the court Network Ten put to air that Ms Brown was “caring” and Ms Higgins was "complimentary" towards her.

Matthew Richardson SC read out part of The Project broadcast in which Brittany Higgins talks about the first meeting she had with Ms Brown. “It was procedural. It felt like a disciplinary meeting,” Ms Higgins’ said.

Mr Richardson then asked: “The impression conveyed by that is that Ms Brown is some kind of vile apparatchik, correct?”

Ms Wilkinson: “I totally disagree.”

Mr Richardson: “She comes across as cold and unfeeling. Correct?”

Ms Wilkinson: “Totally disagree.”

Mr Richardson: “That shows she’s been caring?”

Ms Wilkinson: “It shows that it’s neutral.”

He read another part of the broadcast where Ms Higgins says Ms Brown handed her a brochure and told her to take the rest of the day off.

Mr Richardson: “It portrays her as a monster, Ms Wilkinson, and you know it.”

Ms Wilkinson: “I totally disagree.”

He read out another section of the interview where Ms Higgins’ said bringing up anything about the alleged rape “made Fiona uncomfortable”.

Mr Richardson: “I’m suggesting that the way you portray Ms Brown to the viewers is as a terrible human being.”

Mr Wilkinson: “I disagree.”

2:26 pm December 14, 2023

Lisa Wilkinson resumes her evidence

Staff writers

The Network Ten presenter is back in the witness box after the break for lunch.

1:34 pm December 14, 2023

Key points from Lisa Wilkinson's evidence

Joanna Panagopoulos

• Lisa Wilkinson has rejected the suggestion that her "pride and your ego" were put ahead of Bruce Lehrmann's right to a fair trial when she made a Logies speech in mid-June 2022, eight days before the commencement of the criminal trial, praising Brittany Higgins’ “unwavering courage”. After much questioning she agreed that the implication of her speech was that what that it was a "true allegation of rape against a guilty man";

• Ms Wilkinson said she thought there was a “credibility issue” with the fact Ms Higgins no longer had crucial messages because her phone died but still had an image of a bruise she claimed was caused by the alleged rape, and “escalated” it up the chain of command at Network Ten;

• Ms Wilkinson denied she was ‘not objective’ when it came to Senator Linda Reynolds and the allegations Ms Higgins’ made about her former boss, when asked about the comment she made in a five-hour pre-interview with Ms Higgins: “I've so got her (Senator Reynolds’) in my sights”;

• Ms Wilkinson said she thought Senator Reynolds and Ms Brown were part of a “systemic cover up” of Ms Higgins’ rape allegations.

1:30 pm December 14, 2023

Wilkinson queried over 'supportive' Fiona Brown

Joanna Panagopoulos

Lisa Wilkinson was asked about whether she found it problematic that Brittany Higgins gave her various versions of whether then-minister Linda Reynolds and her chief of staff Fiona Brown “supported” her to go to police.

She says in one meeting with Ms Brown, she is told “they would be supportive” and in another she was told “we wouldn’t stop you”.

Later, Ms Higgins said, they didn’t say those words “explicitly” but it was understood to be true.

Ms Wilkinson said the two things could be true.

“It’s possible that bosses can be two things at once, supportive but also being very careful, particularly in an arena as politically charged and tense as Parliament House,” Ms Wilkinson said.

1:26 pm December 14, 2023 Highlight

'Systemic cover-up' of Higgins rape allegations

Joanna Panagopoulos

Lisa Wilkinson said she believed then-minister Linda Reynolds and her chief of staff Fiona Brown were part of a “systemic cover up” of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations.

Justice Michael Lee: “I’m trying to get to your understanding of the time the program was broadcast … you had the view, didn’t you, that Ms Brown and Senator Reynolds are involved in a systemic cover up or not, were they participants in the systemic cover-up or not?

Ms Wilkinson: “I believe that they have been very, very careful in the lead up to a tightly contested election, and that they would have been taking a lot of direction from the Prime Minister’s office.”

Justice Lee: “So were they participants in a systemic cover up, knowingly or unknowingly, or unwittingly or wittingly, or what was your view at the time?”

Ms Wilkinson: “I think they were taking orders from the Prime Minister’s Office, whatever those orders were.”

Justice Lee: So … does that mean that your view was that they were knowing participants in a systemic cover?”

Fiona Brown, the former chief of staff to Liberal Party Senator Linda Reynolds. Picture: John Feder

Ms Wilkinson paused for a long time: “I think it follows that, that they were.”

Earlier, Ms Wilkinson said they had also put to air that Ms Brown was “caring”.

Ms Wilkinson: “No, because I think there are other aspects of the broadcast that show that Fiona Brown was being caring.”

Mr Richardson: “Is that a serious answer?

Ms Wilkinson: “That’s a serious answer … I believe that we presented the conversations where Ms Higgins was actually complimentary about Fiona Brown and Linda Reynolds and we put that to air.”

They also discussed Ms Higgins’ claims that the rape allegations put her job in jeopardy, including that Ms Brown had put “lot of pressure on me to go”, telling Ms Wilkinson at one point she offered to “pay her out” and said “you wouldn’t” return to work.

Ms Wilkinson: “Mr Richardson, I think that the words that were being said, were possibly different to the way they were being perceived by a young, frightened, political staffer, who understood that if she remained a team player, and didn’t proceed with any kind of police investigation, she would be seen as a good soldier because she’d stayed silent.”

Mr Richardson: “What you’re doing, Ms Wilkinson, is drawing a distinction between what you believe Ms Higgins felt, and what was actually said to her. Is that correct?”

Ms Wilkinson: “Yeah, I’m reading between the lines.”

Later she said: “Maybe I’m just attuned to reading between the lines a little more than you are, Mr Richardson.”