Brittany Higgins Saga Engulfs Media and Politics!
- smckissa1989
- Jun 10, 2023
- 5 min read
What allegedly happened (according to Higgins) or didn't happen (according to Bruce Lehrmann) in the office of then-minister Linda Reynolds (Liberal) on March 23 2019 continues to reverberate even today and to be perfectly honest, it really shouldn't.
What we know is the court case to prosecute then-Liberal Staffer Bruce Lehrmann fell apart and was declared a mistrial due to juror misconduct (this is one that needs to be looked at) and we know the ACT decided not to prosecute a second time due to fears about Higgins mental-health.
What we also know is that the ACT has recently conducted an investigation into what happened during the Higgins investigation; whether police conduct was above board and whether there may have been political interference. Under oath in that investigation, a lot of previous statements made fell apart under questioning where admissions were made that really made a lot of people look quite frankly amateur.
But back to Higgins and Sharaz briefly.
I believe Higgins when she said she was raped that night in Parliament House. There is no way that something didn't happen and there is no possible way it was consensual given that Higgins was "allegedly" drunk and couldn't possibly give clear consent, even if she wanted to.
I also have respect for Sharaz in his unwavering support for Higgins. It is very difficult supporting someone who is seeking justice for what has been done to them and as someone who has been in that position myself, I certainly understand what he has had to deal with.
None of that belief and respect changes despite what I'm about to write next.
Over the last few days, the media have ramped up substantially with numerous articles about Higgins and also targeting a number of people who were allegedly involved in some sort of...well, I don't even know what to call it at this point.
A lot of the questions surround the payout that Higgins was given as a settlement. Some have bandied a figure of around $ 3 million while Higgins herself says it was much lower. In fact, the Liberal Party have questions about this, so much so, that they want to refer it to the new National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Further questions however surround text messages which have somehow been leaked to the media and printed and have drawn in a few people from the media and from politics.
Rational people know not to always take the media at face value but they also know that sometimes it's important to ignore the messenger (media outlet) and look at the message and the message that seems to be getting out is that something dodgy has gone on.
So let's assume for a second that everything being reported at the moment is true and add that to other events and this is the picture that is created.
Apparently, Higgins's partner David Sharaz opened up lines of communication with Katy Gallagher (ALP) and encouraged her to speak with Higgins regarding the rape allegations. Naturally, Gallagher would discuss this with Penny Wong (ALP) and then speak to Sharaz and/or Higgins.
In an ALP strategy meeting, they informed the rest of the leadership team which involved then-Senator Kimberley Kitching and you would assume Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese. Kitching (ALP) was allegedly so disgusted by what they were planning to do that she allegedly warned then-minister Linda Reynolds (LNP) of what was coming. Wong and Gallagher find out and Kitching is frozen out. Wong and Gallagher then attack Linda Reynolds at Senate Estimates and the stress gets to the point that Reynolds is hospitalised. She comes back a while later and makes the accusation of "I know where this started."
Gallagher and Wong are offended by the imputation and while they seem to come to a peaceful resolution, there are enough doubts that still exist. Gallagher, Wong and Albanese have all denied to this point that they cooperated with Higgins in a plan to get the LNP.
Meanwhile, while this line of attack is occurring there is a second line of attack which involves getting in contact with Journalist Lisa Wilkinson. This is the same Wilkinson who won a Logie for her interview with Higgins and then in her Logie speech very nearly derailed the entire case, forcing it to be adjourned to a later date. Now you would bet all money that if Wilkinson knew, then her husband Peter Fitzsimmons would surely have had to know as well. In fact, there are questions surrounding Peter Fitzsimmons in his role in securing Brittany Higgins a book deal. While this in the overall scheme of things is a minor question and obviously shows the friendship between both couples Wilkinson/Fitzsimmons and Higgins/Sharaz where friends help each other, it still is a question that needs to be looked at.
We also have text exchanges and audio that have been released which don't paint many people in a good light but let's be perfectly honest here if you're right-wing, you see it as exposing the hypocrisy of people who always take the moral high ground and if you're ALP-leaning, you see it as...well...there's not much out of the ordinary here.
Here's the ultimate reality though!
If the above picture I've just painted based on the media coverage is even remotely true, then essentially what we have is the following;
A rape allegation made by a Liberal Staffer was weaponised and used for political purposes by the ALP.
Reading that sentence makes my stomach squirm in absolute disgust and horror that people could stoop so low but nothing surprises anymore.
If that is even remotely close to the truth, then Wilkinson and Fitzsimmons both have to resign from their media roles, Gallagher needs to resign as Senator ON THE SPOT, Wong needs to be censured and Albanese needs to be pursued.
What the media are also doing is basically insinuating that the payout given to Higgins as compensation for what happened on that March night back in 2019 contained a bit extra as a 'thank you' for their role in helping to bring down the Morrison government.
That is equally disgusting, revolting and offensive in the extreme and any suggestions along those lines should be met with warnings of legal action.
Equally, Wilkinson has hit out saying that the media are out to get her with some of the tones of their reporting. I mean, come again? You're part of the media Lisa, haven't you gone hard to attack someone before? There's a bit of hypocrisy here from Wilkinson I'm afraid.
I think strangely though the Liberal Party have almost approached the right suggestion but not for the reasons they've stated. There has been so much improper conduct that it's hard to know who's right and who's wrong and I think the only way we can get to the bottom of this is to hold some sort of commission. I'm not necessarily suggesting a corruption investigation as that's very difficult to prove but we need to hold a commission that involves media and politicians.
We need to know who knew what and when?
Who did what and when?
How the media got a hold of material they should never have had access to?
If some hearings have to be private due to certain laws, you cop that as long as the right questions are being asked. We need to get to the bottom of this because this has gone on for a long time. If it's found that a lot of people have acted improperly, then charge them, and hold them accountable because this cannot continue, not now, not ever!
What happened to Higgins on that night in March 2019 cannot be taken away from her and she'll carry that for the rest of her life. What happened that night should never have happened AT ALL. She didn't deserve that nor has she deserved some of the vindictive commentary on social media and from media outlets.
What this started out as and has now morphed into is absolutely outrageous and it's a saga that has engulfed media and politicians. We need to put a stop to it and allow Higgins the chance to live her life without being attacked by the media every few months.
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