Brittany Higgins' alleged rapist will face trial

Brittany Higgins has alleged she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House.

Brittany Higgins has alleged she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House.

The rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who is accused of sexually assaulting former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins inside Parliament House in 2019, will go ahead as planned after the ACT's top judge dismissed an application to stop the case from proceeding.

Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of sexual intercourse without consent and denies allegations he raped his then-colleague in the office of their former boss and government minister, Linda Reynolds. 

In the ACT Supreme Court on Friday afternoon, Chief Justice Lucy McCallum rejected Lehrmann's bid to have the trial halted or delayed.

She also denied an application for media outlets to take down stories about the alleged sexual assault.

The trial, which is scheduled to begin as planned on June 6, is expected to run for six weeks. 

What happened today?

• ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum delivered her decision in which she rejected Lehrmann's application for the trial to be delayed or stopped.
• McCallum has spent the past couple of weeks considering the request of Lehrmann's lawyers, who previously argued the intense media coverage of the allegations may prejudice their client.

Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann.

What has happened so far?

• On April 1, the man charged with raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House - Bruce Lehrmann - applied for the trial to be permanently halted over concerns he would not have a fair trial due to the media coverage the allegations had received.
• Such applications are not unusual in high-profile cases.
• After today's decision, the trial is expected to go ahead on June 6.
• Lehrmann, who worked with Higgins in government minister Linda Reynolds' office at the time of the alleged assault, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent
• There are a number of media suppression orders (which prevent elements of the case from being made public and reported on by journalists) in place.
• "The court strongly urges anyone with an interest in these proceedings to bear those matters in mind and to be careful about the words they publish between now and the 6th of June," ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum has previously told the court. 

Timeline

March 23, 2019: Police have named this date as the time of the alleged rape.

February 2021: Higgins went public with allegations that she had been raped by a colleague in Linda Reynolds' office in March 2019. The allegations rocked the Morrison government, shocked Australia and triggered a cascade of further unrelated allegations about bad behaviour and sexual harassment in the corridors of Parliament House.

March 4, 2021: The March 4 Justice held on the lawns of Parliament House became an iconic moment and triggered a number of reviews into alleged cultural issues within parliament house and the government at large. 

The Women's March 4 Justice Rally in Canberra, 2021. Picture: Gary Ramage

May 2021: The Morrison government in its 2021 federal budget outlined what it called a women’s economic security and safety package that included extra money for a range of services. Anne Ruston was also appointed Minister for Women’s Safety, Jane Hume as Minister for Women’s Economic Security and Amanda Stoker as Assistant Minister for Women.

July 2021: Morrison responded to another review by senior public servant Stephanie Foster with a promise to create an independent complaints mechanism for staff in Parliament for serious incidents.

November 2021: Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins handed down a review into Parliament House’s workplace culture. It delivered 28 recommendations, including restrictions on alcohol, gender equality targets and diversity, updated codes of conduct for MPs and their staff, and new oversight ­bodies to handle complaints.

Brittany Higgins speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage