Taxpayers to foot bill in Brittany Higgins case

Taxpayers could foot the legal bill of former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds over the AFP investigation into the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins.

Liberal senator Linda Reynolds. Picture: APH

Taxpayers are set to foot the legal bill of Government Services Minister Linda Reynolds over the Australian Federal Police investigation into the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in her office in March 2019.

The revelations in estimates come weeks after Senator Reynolds was demoted from her former post of defence minister amid accusations she mishandled Ms Higgins’ case.

She also had to settle a defamation dispute with her former staffer for calling her a “lying cow” in front of ministerial staffers.

The Attorney-General’s department told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday that Senator Reynolds had engaged legal counsel over the AFP probe, and the Finance Department had given the green light for government funding to be used.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, rather than Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, approved the spend to avoid any conflict of interest as Ms Higgins had also worked in Senator Cash’s office.