The retiring Liberal senator, Linda Reynolds, has addressed parliament stating she was compelled to sue her former staffer, Brittany Higgins, and her partner, David Sharaz, for defamation. Reynolds accused the duo of perpetuating a “very powerful lie” concerning an alleged cover-up, which she claims incited the “longest and largest political scandal in the nation’s history.” In her farewell speech to the federal parliament, Reynolds also accused Labor of orchestrating a “brutal” and deliberate campaign against her after Higgins’ rape allegation surfaced in 2021. Reynolds announced her retirement at the 2025 federal election, attributing the hastening of her departure to the political and personal toll the scandal has taken on her and her family.

Reynolds maintained that she never disputed Higgins’ claim of what had transpired in her office. However, she alleged that Higgins and Sharaz concocted a “political #MeToo plan” based on the falsehood that she, Reynolds, had covered up the allegations. Reynolds pointed toJustice Michael Lee’s judgment in Lehrmann’s defamation case as evidence contradicting a cover-up, opining that the response was not in line with an attempted concealment.

Reynolds accused the then Labor opposition of using Higgins’ allegation as a political weapon, asserting that such a strategy would not be tolerated in any other workplace. She expressed her hope that all political parties would work together to improve parliamentary workplace culture, advocating for consistent standards that mirror those enforced in other workplaces across the country.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/27/linda-reynolds-says-she-had-no-choice-but-to-sue-brittany-higgins-over-powerful-lie-ntwnfb