Lisa Wilkinson breaks silence about Brittany Higgins after Bruce Lehrmann spoke out

Lisa Wilkinson has denied approaching Labor politicians to raise questions about Brittany Higgins’ allegations of sexual abuse in parliament.

Bombshell audio revealed Wilkinson name-dropped both Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese during a meeting with Ms Higgins and her boyfriend David Sharaz before the former staffer raised her sexual assault allegations on The Project.

She suggested both could be ‘friendly MPs’ who ‘could fire questions at Question Time’. 

The day after the interview aired, the duo asked five questions between them of then-prime minister Scott Morrison.

But Wilkinson told The Australian she denied speaking of the Brittany Higgins matter with any politicians, despite her bold claims in the leaked audio.

‘Nor did I speak to any other politicians, their minders or apparatchiks,’ she said. 

Ms Plibersek has also denied speaking to Wilkinson or her producer about Ms Higgins ahead of Question Time. 

Wilkinson held an unofficial, five-hour ‘pre-interview’ with Ms Higgins before the Channel Ten show aired on February 15, 2021.

Ms Higgins’ boyfriend David Sharaz asked if Wilkinson had any ‘friendly MPs’ who ‘could fire questions at Question Time’.

‘Oh, certainly Albo,’ Wilkinson said in response, adding: ‘Tanya Plibersek, definitely.’

Daily Mail Australia revealed footage on Monday showing Mr Albanese and Ms Plibersek directing five questions about Ms Higgins’ allegations at Mr Morrison during Question Time the day after The Project aired, on February 16. 

Mr Albanese asked the first question of the session – as is customary for Opposition Leader – to ask if Mr Morrison would establish an external review into the culture within Parliament House in the wake of Ms Higgins’ claims.

Six minutes later, Ms Plibersek made the first direct reference to Ms Higgins. She said: ‘When and how did the Prime Minister first become aware of the reported sexual assault of Brittany Higgins?’

Ms Higgins alleges she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House after a night out in 2019. Mr Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence. 

Mr Morrison fumbled his way through his answer, insisting he became aware of the allegations the morning of The Project’s report, and that his office knew of the complaint just days earlier.

But Ms Plibersek doubted his claims, noting in a second question that he had contradicted Ms Higgins’ version of events, which stated the PM’s private secretary was told of the alleged assault in 2019.

Ms Higgins boyfriend David Sharaz asked if Ms Wilkinson had any ‘friendly MPs’ who ‘could fire questions at Question Time’

‘The Prime Minister claimed in his press conference that Ms Higgins’s statements were confused. Previously the Prime Minister has said victims of sexual assault should be believed. Why doesn’t that apply in this case?’ she asked.

Mr Morrison attempted to skirt around the issue by quoting Ms Higgins herself, who had earlier in the day asked for her ‘privacy to be respected’ as she ‘began to emotionally recover’. 

Ms Higgins’ statement said she wished to make no further comment on the allegations.

The PM said: ‘I will be complying with that request, and we will be seeking to pursue this matter through the mechanisms that I’ve already announced today and also potentially through the other mechanisms that have been suggested.’ 

In the bombshell audio played by Seven’s Spotlight on Sunday night, Wilkinson told Ms Higgins, Mr Sharaz and her producer Angus Llewellyn she is ‘a great believer in ”people’s time will come”.’

Mr Sharaz said in response: ‘Is it Linda’s time? Please God, let it be Linda’s time.’

Ms Wilkinson answered: ‘Well, it might be.’ 

During Question Time, Mr Albanese probed Mr Morrison on Ms Reynolds’ role in parliament, asking if it was ‘acceptable that the defence minister was aware that a reported serious crime had been committed in her office but did not inform the Prime Minister or his office’.

To that, Mr Morrison said: ‘It is not, and it shouldn’t happen again.’  

Mr Albanese asked the first question of the session – as is customary for Opposition Leader – to determine if Mr Morrison would establish an external review into the culture within Parliament House

Three minutes later, Mr Albanese was back with another question on the matter, asking if Mr Morrison had ‘confidence in his defence minister’. 

Mr Morrison said: ‘Yes, I do. This is a shattering incident, as I’ve said. It is very serious and we have been taking it very, very seriously, from the moment I became aware.

‘I don’t think this should be a matter of politics. It should be a matter of keeping people safe in this building.’

Mr Albanese’s final question on the matter came five minutes later, at 2.29pm. 

He said: ‘How can the defence minister maintain the Prime Minister’s confidence when the Prime Minister agrees that the defence minister was aware for two years of a reported serious offence occurring just down the corridor from the Prime Minister’s own office which potentially attracts a custodial sentence and did not inform the Prime Minister or his office, according to his own statements?’

The then-prime minister said he believed Ms Reynolds had ‘acted in good faith’ by ‘supporting Brittany’. 

Ms Higgins alleges she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House after a night out in 2019

Mr Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Albanese’s office for comment.

Ms Plibersek was asked whether she was approached by Wilkinson or her producer ahead of Question Time on the Seven Network on Monday morning. 

She denied speaking to the journalists about the matter, but noted she had spoken with Ms Higgins to see how she was coping. 

Ms Plibersek said that it should come as ‘no surprise’ that she went to bat for Ms Higgins.

‘It is absolutely no surprise that anybody would think that I would follow up on it, an instance like this,’ she said.

‘For 30 years I have been campaigning for better investigation and better treatment of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and child sexual assault. 

‘It’s been a constant party of my political activism, long before anybody heard of Brittany Higgins.

‘I’ve been doing this for decades now, and it is no surprise that I would be interested in justice being served in a situation like this.’

She had nothing further to add when approached by Daily Mail Australia. 

Meanwhile, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Michaelia Cash, was directly asked by 2GB’s Ben Fordham whether the payment of up to $3million Brittany Higgins was given in secrecy should be investigated by the new federal corruption watchdog.

Daily Mail Australia revealed on Saturday that Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus signed off on the payment without taking advice from Ms Higgins’ former employers, Ms Cash and the Labor defence minister Linda Reynolds.

Ms Cash said it was up to Albanese and his government to justify the payment.

‘Certainly, Mr Dreyfus has a number of questions to answer,’ she said. 

‘Anyone who watched Seven’s Spotlight on Sunday night, you came away with more questions than answers. Tanya Plibersek struggled to answer questions. Katy Gallacher needs to properly explain her role in all of this.

‘The Project needs to release the five-hour recording that’s damning for all involved.

When asked whether Brittany Higgins was mistreated when she worked for either herself of Linda Reynolds, Ms Cash said: ‘Absolutely not.

‘I have been clear in my position from day one. The first time I ever heard the word rape was when I received a question from a journalist after Ms Higgins left my office,’ she said.

Since an extensive interview with Mr Lehrmann aired on Channel 7 on Sunday, media personalities have floated referring the payout to the National Anti Corruption Commission, which will open for business on July 1.

‘The National Anti Corruption Commission is totally independent and it’s entirely a matter for the Commission what it chooses to investigate,’ a spokesperson for the Attorney General said.

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) has broken his silence in a TV interview two years after Brittany Higgins accused him of raping her in Parliament House