Brittany Higgins has broken her silence for the first time following the conclusion of Bruce Lehrmann’s failed defamation case against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.
Federal Court Justice Michael Lee found, on the balance of probabilities, Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.
In his judgment, delivered last Monday, he found the pair had sex in the office of senator Linda Reynolds, that Ms Higgins did not consent, and that Mr Lehrmann was indifferent to whether she had consented.
A criminal trial against Mr Lehrmann was abandoned, leaving no findings against him.
He has always maintained his innocence.
Today, Ms Higgins welcomed the judgment.
In a statement posted across her various social media accounts today, Ms Higgins, had the following to say:
“I was raped. No judgment was ever going to change this truth.
“I lived with the shame, humiliation, and fear of what telling my story would mean for my life and career, like so many other victim-survivors.
“I was scared I wouldn’t be believed or supported.”
Parliament House had a ‘toxic culture’, statement says
Ms Higgins’s statement went on to discuss what she described as the “toxic culture” in Parliament House.
“For decades, women working in Parliament House have not been heard.
“There was no safe space for them to speak up or raise serious complaints.
“I felt compelled to tell my story.”
Her statement also referenced the Jenkins review which she said saw “thousands of staff” come forward to contribute.
“Their stories, like mine, have shone a light on the conditions that have fed such a toxic culture and been wilfully ignored for too long,” it read.
Brittany Higgins ‘devastated’ by ‘platform’ given to Lehrmann
Ms Higgins said her “health, memory and relationships” had been impacted by the rape.
“I was devastated that a rapist was given a nationwide platform to maintain his lies about what happened.
“I trust that those who contributed in any way to the program will reflect on their decision.”
She thanked Justice Lee for his “trauma-informed approach, recognising that reactions to assault can vary wildly”.
Ms Higgins said she hoped it would set a new precedent for how courts consider the testimonies of victim-survivors of sexual assault.
‘Time to heal’
Ms Higgins also used her statement to thank her friends and family who had supported her over the last few years.
“While I do not agree with all of Justice Lee’s findings, I do respect his observations about the many people scarred and damaged in the aftermath of my rape.
“All the various people who have been unwittingly wrapped in my years’ worth of media discourse and legal battles in relation to my rape.
“I want to particularly point out my family, who have been such an incredible support. They’ve been so strong, faced a seemingly unrelenting barrage of hate and have consistently held me together at times when I thought I would fall apart.”
She also apologised to senator Linda Reynolds and then chief of staff Fiona Brown.
Justice Lee had been critical of Ms Higgins’s claims there had been a cover-up of her assault, particularly as it related to Senator Reynolds and Ms Brown.
“[They] have also been hurt and for that I am also sorry.
“My perceptions and feelings about what happened in the days and weeks after my rape are different from theirs. I deeply regret we have not yet found common ground.
“I hope we can resolve our differences with a better understanding of each other’s experience.”
Ultimately, Ms Higgins looked to the future in her statement.
“I was 24 when I was raped in Parliament House.
“It has been five years of criminal and civil trials and government inquiries for the truth to finally be heard.
“It is now time to heal.”
Submissions for costs for the case are due in the Federal Court on Monday.