Former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has declared her 'fight for truth' is over after securing a decisive victory in her defamation case against her former staffer, Brittany Higgins.
A Costly Victory and a Call for Accountability
Senator Reynolds emerged successful from a legal battle centred on a series of social media posts published by Ms Higgins and her partner, David Sharaz, in 2022 and 2023. Reynolds argued that the posts severely damaged her reputation, caused health issues, and hindered her political career.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Paul Tottle in the WA Supreme Court in August, Reynolds was awarded $315,000 in damages plus $26,000 in interest. The court also ordered Ms Higgins to pay 80 per cent of Reynolds' legal fees. Combined with her own substantial legal bills, this leaves Higgins and Sharaz facing an estimated total financial burden of $2 million, pushing them towards imminent bankruptcy.
Following the judgement, Reynolds has turned her attention to the Albanese Government, urging it to take responsibility for years of reputational damage she and her staff endured. She is demanding a formal apology.
'A Huge and Monstrous Lie'
In an interview with The Australian, Reynolds explained her motivation for pursuing the lengthy and costly legal action. She stated she had 'no choice but to stand and fight' after what she described as a 'huge and monstrous lie' that derailed her career.
'I believe the truth matters,' Reynolds said in a video published by the outlet. 'It's about fighting for the truth because the allegations about me, Fiona, Michaela, Scott Morrison and all of our staffs was a lie, so for me it was about the truth.'
She emphasised that with Justice Tottle's judgement following two other court cases, 'the truth is now binding on Brittany, on David and on journalists.' Reynolds added, 'So I feel the fight for the truth after five years is now out there.'
Justice for Staff and a Warning for Parliament
Reynolds also used the opportunity to call for justice for her former chief of staff, Fiona Brown, who was named in Higgins' original allegations. Brown was the senior staffer who supported Higgins after the alleged assault and arranged meetings with police.
'Fiona did everything right. Three courts have now found she did everything right,' Reynolds asserted. 'She is a compassionate, capable, competent woman who has been so badly damaged... justice for Fiona would look like an apology and financial compensation.'
Despite her legal victory, Reynolds warned that little has changed within the culture of Parliament. She has previously called for a parliamentary inquiry into whether senior Labor senators, specifically naming Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher 'They talk the talk, but when it comes to coalition women and their political enemies, they will use parliamentary privilege to do exactly the opposite,' Reynolds claimed. 'What Labor did to me in the Parliament would be completely illegal in any other workplace.' Both Senators Wong and Gallagher have disputed these claims, stating they did not know the full details of the allegations before they became public and denying any decision to 'weaponise' the issue. The case has its origins in Ms Higgins' allegation that she was raped by her former co-worker, Bruce Lehrmann, in Senator Reynolds' ministerial suite in 2019—a claim Mr Lehrmann has consistently denied. His criminal trial was aborted due to juror misconduct, though a subsequent Federal Court defamation case found on the balance of probabilities that the rape did occur. Mr Lehrmann is appealing that finding.
