Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has strongly criticized what he described as the “weaponisation” of Brittany Higgins’s rape allegation by the Labor Party, asserting that it led to extreme distress for his former defense minister, Senator Linda Reynolds. Morrison expressed concern that the political handling of the situation had severely affected Reynolds, leaving him worried for her well-being.
Morrison provided this testimony via video link during the defamation trial currently underway in the Supreme Court of Western Australia. The trial involves Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds, who is suing her former staffer Brittany Higgins over a series of social media posts made in 2023. Reynolds claims these posts significantly damaged her reputation, causing her substantial distress and embarrassment.
During his testimony, Morrison revealed that he first became aware of the rape allegations on February 15, 2021. This was the same day the allegations were made public through an article on news.com.au and an interview Higgins conducted with Channel 10’s The Project.
The former Prime Minister recounted the considerable impact the situation had on Senator Reynolds, particularly during a period of intense questioning by Labor senators. Morrison described this questioning as “aggressive and coordinated,” noting that it placed a heavy toll on Reynolds. He recalled an incident where Reynolds collapsed in the Senate and had to be escorted out, at which point he visited her and found her in a deeply distressed state.
Morrison condemned the manner in which the allegations were used to politically target both Senator Reynolds and the broader government, including himself. He vehemently denied any claims of a government cover-up, labeling such accusations as “utterly false and without foundation.”
In his closing remarks, Morrison emphasized the severity of the situation, expressing that there was a genuine fear for Senator Reynolds’ life during this period, underscoring the extreme pressure she was under due to the public and political handling of the case.
