Key Points
- Brittany Higgins took the stand in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case.
- Lehrmann brought the case against Network Ten.
- Higgins will continue to give testimony this week.
This story contains references to sexual assault
Brittany Higgins has stepped into the witness box in a Federal Court defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann against Network Ten.
Bruce Lehrmann says he paid a late-night visit to Parliament House to avoid getting his then-girlfriend out of bed on the night Brittany Higgins alleges she was raped there.
A barrister for the broadcaster Lehrmann is suing says the former Liberal staffer has provided various lies on the subject.
He was criminally charged in August 2021 in relation to Higgins' allegation that she was raped in the parliamentary office of senator Linda Reynolds in March 2019.
Lehrmann has consistently denied the allegation, and his criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court was derailed by juror misconduct.
Prosecutors did not seek a second trial, citing concerns for Higgins' mental health.
Bruce Lehrmann arrives at the Federal Court of Australia as his defamation cases against Network Ten continue. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
A deliberate, conscious and careful decision was made not to name Lehrmann in the report that Ten's barrister Matthew Collins KC says was not about him.
The theme of the program and most of its time was devoted to exposing alleged inadequacies in how Higgins' allegations were managed by the previous government, Collins said.
The public interest in the report was "amply demonstrated" by following events including a review into parliament's workplace culture, which reported in November 2021.
Lehrmann had been criminally charged by then but did not read that report.
But he heard then-prime minister Scott Morrison apologise to Higgins in his "stupid parliament speech" months later, he told the court on Tuesday.
Collins said Lehrmann had given a range of lies about his reasons for being in Parliament House with Higgins after the pair had been out drinking.
It came after Lehrmann finished a four-day stint in the witness box on Tuesday afternoon, when his barrister asked him why it was so important to go back to Parliament House to get his keys as he had claimed.
Lehrmann cited the cumbersome nature of getting into his building, which would have required his then-girlfriend to get out of bed.
"Did she know you had 'kicked on', to use your expression," Justice Michael Lee asked.
"I'm not sure, I can't remember now, Your Honour," Lehrmann responded.
In addition to the broadcast program, Lehrmann alleges Wilkinson acted in a "high-handed and reckless manner" and prejudiced his approaching trial in a speech she made at the Logies in June 2022.
Lehrmann later gave interviews with rival media company Seven Network and said the Logies speech and the associated delay afforded his lawyers the opportunity to dig deeper.
He disagreed when Wilkinson's lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC suggested he thought the delay saved him from conviction, and maintained he had been prejudiced.
Lehrmann said Seven Network paid for accommodation in locations where the filming took place, but told the court he did not know how much it had cost.
Chrysanthou said the payments were to continue from June this year until June 2024.
Lehrmann has settled separate defamation proceedings against News.com.au and the ABC over their reports about Higgins' allegations.
Higgins watched on as Collins and Chrysanthou set out the defence cases on Tuesday afternoon before briefly stepping into the witness box, describing how she began working in politics after campaigning at university.
"I wanted to work my way up the ranks," Higgins said.
She is expected to continue giving evidence on Wednesday.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
