Katy Gallagher was invited to wedding of David Sharaz
Senior Labor ministers use parliamentary tactics to dodge questions as Katy Gallagher admits David Sharaz invited her to his first wedding.
Katy Gallagher has confirmed that Brittany Higgins’ fiance David Sharaz invited her to attend his first wedding in 2018, as senior Labor ministers hid behind parliamentary procedural tactics to dodge questions about when they first became aware of the Higgins rape allegations.
The Finance Minister came under fire for a second consecutive day in question time over her relationship with Mr Sharaz, involvement in Ms Higgins’ reported $3m payout, and who contacted her prior to the sexual abuse allegations airing on The Project in February 2021.
The Left-faction powerbroker and confidante of Anthony Albanese attempted to distance herself from text messages sent by Mr Sharaz to Ms Higgins claiming her as an “old friend”.
Senator Gallagher – who has known Mr Sharaz for more than a decade – described her relationship with the former political journalist as “professional”.
Asked about her invitation to Mr Sharaz’s wedding to former wife Alexandra Craig, Senator Gallagher said: “I didn’t recall that until I heard it reported and I had to ask the people I worked with at the time.”
The Minister for Women said “I think I was (ACT) chief minister”, but she quit that job in 2014 to enter the Senate.
“I got a lot of invitations to a lot of things, some I was able to go to and others I weren’t. I didn’t attend that one. The invitation was declined,” she told parliament.
In response to Mr Sharaz describing her as an “old friend”, Senator Gallagher said: “I’m not responsible for how people describe their relationship with me.”
In the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister said “no” when asked by Peter Dutton whether Senator Gallagher had misled the Senate in claiming that she did not alert senior colleagues about information she received about Ms Higgins’ alleged sexual assault.
Following intervention by leader of the house Tony Burke, Speaker of the house Milton Dick ruled a question from deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek as out of order.
Ms Ley had asked Ms Plibersek – who along with Mr Albanese was named in text messages sent between Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins – when she “first became aware” of the rape allegations broadcast by The Project.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong backed-in Senator Gallagher’s claim she did not inform her staff or senior colleagues about what she knew prior to the rape allegations becoming public.
“Her account is correct. She kept her confidence in the information she was provided, including with me,” Senator Wong said.
The Australian understands senior Coalition figures are approaching the prosecution of senior government ministers carefully, concerned about overreach and potential backlash against the Liberal Party, which is focused on winning back female voters.
The parliamentary battle came as Ms Higgins tweeted transcripts of recorded conversations with her former boss, then attorney-general Michaelia Cash and her chief of staff Daniel Try, on Wednesday following another bitter question time in the Senate.
Ms Higgins posted photographs of notes from a conversation she allegedly had with Senator Cash and Mr Try in “early February 2021”.
The conversation appears to be in relation to Ms Higgins’ allegations.
“Please know that Daniel and I are here to support you,” Ms Cash is recorded as saying. “Britt, do you want to go to the police?”
Senator Cash said these tweets were consistent with the evidence she gave last year.
“The issue of when Senator Cash became aware of the allegations was the subject of evidence given under oath and has been tested in the ACT Supreme Court,” a spokesman told The Australian on Wednesday evening.
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