Brittany Higgins has addressed widely publicised claims she had been paid $3 million in compensation by the Commonwealth, saying the sum was "well below" reports.
Last December, Ms Higgins reached a confidential settlement with the Commonwealth after the former political staffer alleged she had been raped at Parliament House.
Lawyer Noor Blumer, acting for Ms Higgins, issued a brief statement at the time where she said: "at the request of Ms Higgins, the parties have agreed that the terms of the settlement are confidential".
Since then, it had been widely reported that the claim was settled for $3 million. But on Monday, Ms Higgins said on Twitter that was overshot.
Replying to radio 2GB social media post quoting host Ben Fordham, who alleged the payment was "substantially higher than $3 million", Ms Higgins said the headline was "just plain wrong".
In his show, Mr Fordham read from an opinion piece from News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt, in which Mr Bolt asked why the Albanese government made the settlement so quickly.
Making his own comments on his show, Mr Fordham said: "I agree that the government should explain why it settled the compensation claim and they should tell us how much money was paid.
"If we ever find out the figure, I can tell you this. People will be shocked to learn it is substantially higher than the $3 million that has been widely reported."
In response, Ms Higgins said in a tweet: "I started the legal process with the Coalition Govt in early 2022."
“The settlement was well below the reported figure the media has run with - let alone beyond it?
“I’m going to have to start taking legal action against media outlets.”
Mr Fordham acknowledged Ms Higgins' response on air, saying: "Brittany Higgins is denying what I've heard, that the compensation paid to her is substantially higher than $3 million. However, I note her rejection of that assertion and I acknowledge that she is saying the settlement is well below the reported figure." He stopped short of an apology.
In response to one Twitter user, Ms Higgins said the money could instead go to a rape crisis centre in each state where the news outlet is based.
"Let some good come from this ugly situation," she added.
The trial of Bruce Lehrmann over the alleged rape of Ms Higgins was aborted last year after juror misconduct, with a second trial later aborted out of concern for Ms Higgins's health.
Mr Lehrmann has consistently maintained his innocence, saying no sexual interactions between the pair occurred.
Brittany Higgins' diary entries leaked
Ms Higgins has repeatedly scrutinised the media coverage around her trial and her character since she came forward with the allegations.
On Sunday, Ms Higgins called out The Weekend Australian for citing excerpts from her personal diary, which she had only supplied to the police for their investigation and was not tabled in court.
“No journalist should have seen the photo of my diary,” she said in a series of tweets.
“Stop publishing the private contents of my phone.”
In another story by the same outlet, Ms Higgins said that she had not been given a right to reply. In the article, it said she "planned" to donate the money she received from former Liberal minister Linda Reynolds for her "lying cow gibe".
On Twitter, Ms Higgins replied to the statement explaining she had donated the funds received from the defamation settlement with Senator Reynolds immediately afterwards.
“I donated all funds from my defamation case against Senator Reynolds to a sexual assault charity the moment they were received by my lawyer in 2021. See the receipt below," Ms Higgins wrote on Twitter, with a screenshot of a receipt with the date, 15 March 2021.
"I donate the money to charity because all I wanted was an apology and a retraction. And yet... somehow Linda Reynolds is the victim?"
Since that article was published over the weekend, the Daily Mail has published photographs of Higgins in what looks like a park talking on the phone.
The headline reads: “EXCLUSIVE: Brittany Higgins looks tense as she’s seen for the first time since her ex-boss broke her silence on allegations she was raped in her office – as she fumes after her diary was made public.”
Ms Higgins’ partner, David Sharaz, posted a screenshot to Twitter writing: “It’s taken me years to convince Brittany to leave the house on bad days. Now she’s being photographed by strangers who send it to the Daily Mail when she does. This is disgusting.”
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
