Brittany Higgins has teamed up with a close ally to start up a new company as more details about her exciting new life emerge.
The former political staffer uploaded a series of photos to Instagram on Tuesday to show off her lavish new rental home on the Gold Coast.
Ms Higgins recently moved into the beachside rental property with her fiancé David Sharaz and their dog Kingston after receiving a large, confidential settlement payout from taxpayers stemming from her claims that she was raped at Parliament House in 2019.
A new company called Power Blazers Pty Ltd was registered in February and lists Ms Higgins as a director alongside her father Matthew and close friend Emma Webster, a lobbyist with political consultants Hawker Britton, The Australian’s Margin Call reported.
Ms Higgins was regularly flanked by Ms Webster at the ACT Supreme Court during the trial of her accused rapist in 2022 before it was later aborted.
It comes as Ms Higgins penned a powerful article for Marie Claire magazine vowing to spend the rest of her life helping others navigate Australia’s fraught and imperfect justice process.
Brittany Higgins (right) has teamed up with lobbyist friend Emma Webster (left) to form Power Blazers Pty Ltd.
When the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions announced it was dropping the case amid fears a retrial would pose a ‘significant and unacceptable risk’ to Ms Higgins’ mental health, it was Ms Webster who immediately released a statement revealing her friend had been admitted to a Queensland hospital.
Ms Webster is also a longtime friend of Mr Sharaz who previously revealed the lobbyist was instrumental in helping him to pluck up the courage to ask Ms Higgins out.
‘She’s (Webster) been our go-to person ever since: from helping me draft an email, to hemming Brittany’s pants. She’s not a friend, she’s basically part of our relationship,’ Mr Sharaz wrote on Instagram at the time.
Webster was also in attendance at the National Press Club in Canberra when Ms Higgins delivered a powerful speech with former Australian of the Year Grace Tame a year ago.
Ms Webster is still listed as a director of Hawker Britton on its website.
She previously worked for former prime minister Julia Gillard, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
There had been previous speculation Ms Higgins could take up employment with former Australia Post boss Christine Holgate, who now heads Team Global Express.
Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz recently moved from Brisbane to the Gold Coast two months after he proposed to her on New Year’s Eve in Byron Bay.
Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz are loving their new life on the Gold Coast
Lobbyist and former government staffer Emma Webster (right) embraces friend Brittany Higgins after her powerful speech at the National Press Club
‘Home sweet home,’ Ms Higgins captioned the post, which features a selfie and multiple images of a nearby beach and a now-deleted photo of a shiny Jeep parked out the front.
Ms Higgins also included a picture of her new living room adorned with designer furniture – including a $500 white velvet mirror and a $330 decorative side table.
Her mother Kelly Higgins, who is a real estate agent, commented: ‘It’s exactly what you deserve my angel.’
‘A beautiful home in a beautiful location. Lots of happy memories to be shared and made. Miss you already xx.’
Mr Sharaz, who left his job with Southern Cross Austereo in mid-February, posted his own photo of a beach near their new home with the caption: ‘No, I don’t miss the 9-5.’
David Sharaz, who recently quit his job in Brisbane, posted a photo of a beach near their new home – with the caption ‘No, I don’t miss the 9-5’
Ms Sharaz worked for Southern Cross Austereo for two years – first as a breakfast news reader, and then as part of Queensland news operations – before he suddenly left last month.
He later uploaded photos with colleagues at his farewell party. One tagged him in an Instagram post, with the caption: ‘Goodbye, my fav gossiper.’
While his LinkedIn profile still states that he works at the company’s Brisbane office, his Twitter bio has been edited to say ‘AWAY’.
After news of his sudden departure from the company was revealed, Ms Higgins urged her audience to ‘read between the lines’, adding: ‘No one walks away from employment without a job to walk into.’
Ms Higgins announced in February that she would leave her home in Brisbane to finish her law degree at Bond University on the Gold Coast.
In December, she reached a compensation settlement with the Commonwealth for an undisclosed amount, after she tried to sue for damages for sexual harassment, discrimination and negligence.
The month-long trial in the ACT Supreme Court against her alleged rapist Bruce Lehrmann collapsed last October.
She had alleged Mr Lehrmann raped her in Parliament House after a night out in March 2019. He had pleaded not guilty and has continually denied the allegations.
Brittany Higgins posted a photo of her new living room, which features a $500 velvet mirror (pictured)
She also posted a photo of her fiance David Sharaz standing at their new home on the Gold Coast
The trial was aborted due to misconduct by a jury member.
In December, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC dropped the case altogether, citing concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health.
Last month, she refuted claims that her payout was worth $3million – insisting she received ‘far less’, and threatening legal action if the figure was repeated.
Mr Lehrmann has launched a defamation case against Channel 10, Lisa Wilkinson and news.com.au in the Federal Court for publishing stories about Ms Higgins’ allegations in February 2021.
He was not identified in the TV interview or online article, but he claims his family and former colleagues were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
Mr Lehrmann will be cross-examined in court for the first time later in March.
He has always strenuously denied all of the allegations made against him by Ms Higgins.
Ms Higgins announced on Twitter that she is willing to give evidence at the trial.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk