Barnaby Joyce has slammed the Albanese government and Brittany Higgins’ $2.4million compensation payment, asking if military veterans have ever been paid the same amount for workplace injuries.
Ms Higgins was forced to reveal the value of her claim against the Commonwealth in the Federal Court last week, which was settled in December last year after just one day of mediation.
The figure she cited to the court, $2.3million, was about $145,000 less than the true value.
Last week, Joyce pointed out the stark contrast between the way Ms Higgins’ claim was considered compared with the way diggers’ mental health and physical injury claims are treated.
In a question tendered in Parliament, Mr Joyce asked: ‘For each of the past ten years how many veterans or dependants received compensation since the current government took office?
‘For each month, how many veterans or dependants received compensation or other forms of payments totalling at least $2.3m?
‘In each case, what was the timeframe from the lodgement of the claim, to approval for payment? Without requesting identifiable personal information, to what injuries, conditions or circumstances did each payment relate?’
Ms Higgins’ payment was for general damages, past economic loss and assistance with future domestic duties, and future economic loss based on claims she would not be able to work in politics for 40 years.
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