Brittany Higgins’ $2.3million compo payout was ‘never justified’: Scorching attack on Labor’s payment to ex-political staffer by 2GB’s Ben Fordham
A radio host has criticized the $2.3 million settlement paid to former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, which was revealed in the Federal Court on Tuesday.
Ms Higgins received the payout after she alleged she was raped in the office of government minister Bruce Lehrmann in March 2019.
The criminal trial of Mr Lehrmann, who has always denied the charges, was thrown out in October 2022 due to jury misconduct and was subsequently dropped due to concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health.
Talking about 2 GB Ben Fordham said on radio Wednesday morning that the payment “was never properly explained or justified.”
“A former political official confirmed this figure in the Federal Court, and the question arises what was the reason for paying this compensation to Brittany,” he asked.
Brittany Higgins (pictured centre) leaves after her final day as a witness in the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney, Tuesday 5 December 2023.
Fordham said he objected because Ms Higgins’ “shocking allegations about that night in Parliament House have never been proven.”
But the shock sportsman said what Ms Higgins had previously said, “about what happened in the days and weeks after that night in Parliament House, well, that story was torn to shreds during cross-examination in court.”
“But that aside,” she and he said about the night in Parliament House, “this is also a political issue because Labor got everything they could out of it.
“And senior figure (Canberra MP) Katie Gallagher was even made aware of the allegations before they were made public,” Fordham said.
He said Ms Higgin’s boyfriend David Sharaz said in a text that then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison was going to be “beaten… just wait” and that she replied: “We got him.”
Fordham said that after Labor came to power in the May 2022 federal election, “a reparations payment was approved for Brittany.” It happened at lightning speed.”
“Her former bosses, (Senator) Michaelia Cash and (Senator) Linda Reynolds, were barred from participating in this process, and did so without filing a claim for compensation in court.”
He said Ms Higgins had “stated she would not be able to work for 40 years”. The Albana government paid 2.3 million without contesting the veracity of this statement…
“Brittany alleges that Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash failed her and contributed to a toxic and harmful work environment.”
Fordham said Ms Cash and Ms Reynolds denied any wrongdoing and “it was in fact Linda Reynolds and her then chief of staff Fiona Brown who convinced Brittany to go to the police.”
He said the legal experts his show spoke to said they had never seen anything settled so quickly. “So what did they pay the money for? That remains the $2.3 million question.”
Fordham said: “The compensation issue is a political issue because the Labor Party made it so. They received briefings before the indictment aired on television.
Pictured is Bruce Lehrmann (right) arriving at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on Wednesday 6 December 2023.
“So from Labour’s point of view it was a conflict of interest. The Brittany supporters gave them all the information they needed to plant a bomb under the coalition.
“And when the Labor Party was sworn in, they gave Brittany Higgins $2.3 million.
“It was never properly explained and it was never justified,” Fordham said.