Peter Dutton has delivered a cutting reply to a member of the public demanding he ‘stop’ the deluge of questions about what Labor knew about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations before they were made public.
The opposition leader stressed on Wednesday that the questions being asked of the government are “absolutely reasonable” and are “not condescending to the charge of sexual assault”.
Ms Higgins alleged she was sexually assaulted by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House in 2019. He has denied the allegations and a criminal trial was aborted in late 2022 due to misconduct by a juror.
Since then, leaked texts and transcripts of recorded conversations show that Ms Higgins, her boyfriend David Sharaz and journalist Lisa Wilkinson provided or intended to provide details of her allegations to senior Labor figures well before the case became public knowledge.
‘There is no doubtThe judicial process that has already taken place is not to infer innocence or guilt from any party involved in this case, it is to hold the government accountable,” Dutton said.
At a Local Government Association conference, Mr Dutton described the situation as a ‘key democratic element of our Westminster system’.
While Mr Dutton has been outspoken about the issue, over the past two weeks he has largely allowed senior opposition figures to denounce the issue in both parliamentary and media interviews.
Ms Higgins alleged she was sexually assaulted by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House in 2019
Mr Dutton said he “takes the issue of sexual assault very seriously” having worked “a number of years” as a detective in that field.
“The most horrifying thing that can happen to anyone, especially to women, is to be sexually assaulted,” he said.
“Similarly, anyone charged with such a heinous crime should be tried by a jury and a judge and tried under our legal system.”
His reaction came after a councilor said: ‘It does more harm than good. It has to stop.’
Mr Dutton acknowledged that his case was based on leaking private text messages to the media, and that case has since been referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation.
Peter Dutton has delivered a cutting response to demands to ‘stop’ the deluge of questions about Labor ministers’ knowledge of Brittany Higgins’ allegations.
Ms Gallagher denies wrongdoing and has refused to be guided by the details of the case, citing Ms Higgins’ need for privacy. She did confirm that Ms Higgins’ partner, David Sharaz (pictured together), has informed her of the matter
Chancellor of the Exchequer Katy Gallagher – one of the senior Labor figures referred to in the lyrics – was put to the test during Senate Question Time on Tuesday, and likely again on Wednesday, about her knowledge of Ms Higgins’ complaint prior to its publication.
Ms Gallagher denies wrongdoing and has refused to be guided by the details of the case, citing Ms Higgins’ need for privacy.
Ms. Gallagher was asked about the apparent contradiction between her telling a 2021 Senate estimates hearing that she had no prior knowledge of the allegations, and now saying she was aware before they became public.
“I came into… the information through the partner of the young woman who was to make these allegations,” Ms Gallagher said on Tuesday. “I was asked to keep that information confidential, and I did.”
Ms Gallagher said she did not want to betray Ms Higgins’ trust by discussing her knowledge of the matter, adding: “If you confide in anyone, seek help from anyone … that information could become public made.
“The problems the opposition has is that someone here may have acted with some decency or integrity.”
Meanwhile, Mr Dutton in the House of Representatives was left frustrated when Mr Albanese thwarted his attempt to raise the issue during Monday’s Question Time in the House of Representatives.
‘My question is to the Prime Minister,’ Mr Dutton said.
Meanwhile, Mr Dutton in the House of Representatives remained frustrated when Mr Albanese thwarted his attempt to keep the issue on the agenda during Monday’s Question Time in the House of Representatives.
“When did the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister’s Office become aware of allegations of sexual assault as broadcast by The Project in 2021?”
Mr Albanese took the question as an opportunity to target former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who led the coalition when the alleged incident took place and until Ms Higgins made her claims public with media interviews.
“The Leader of the Opposition asked when the Prime Minister’s Office knew about this and indeed, that is the question, when did the Prime Minister’s Office know about this?” Mr. Albanese said as the room grew increasingly noisy.
Mr Albanese said Mr Morrison’s office had been briefed on the matter by Mr Dutton himself, who oversaw the Australian Federal Police as Home Secretary at the time.
As the room continued to erupt in MPs shouting over each other, the speaker asked the Prime Minister to sit down as Mr Dutton questioned the relevance of the reply.
“This is a tricky answer,” Mr. Dutton said.
The prime minister was asked a question. I asked in reference to your office, I framed it that way, sir.’