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The former leader of the Liberal Party has become involved in the legal proceedings related to Fiona Brown’s case. Brown has accused him of misleading parliament following the eruption of the Higgins rape scandal in 2021.
Fiona Brown, who previously worked in Scott Morrison’s office, is suing the Australian government for damages. She claims she was prevented from addressing criticisms regarding her management of Brittany Higgins’ allegations.
In February 2021, Brown held a senior position within the then-prime minister’s team. In 2019, she served as chief of staff to then-Senator Linda Reynolds when Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped by another staffer in Parliament House.
The case was back in the Federal Court today, where Justice Nye Perram scheduled mediation for late April or early May, following the government’s submission of its defense.
Matthew Minucci, representing the federal government, requested more time to prepare this defense. He explained that contact needed to be made with the 32 individuals mentioned in Brown’s lawsuit, which includes Scott Morrison.
Brown’s amended statement of claim was filed in late November.
Perram agreed to hold two separate hearings for the matter, first on arguments about the government’s liability for the alleged failures and the amount of damages it will have to pay.
A second hearing on penalties will then be held if the government does not successfully defend the lawsuit.
In a 106-page court filing, Brown alleges she was sidelined from leadership meetings and the then-prime minister refused to talk to her after the scandal broke in early 2021.
The documents then claim Labor later used question time to probe Morrison about claims Brown had not supported Higgins, leading the prime minister to say: “I have had these conversations with the member of staff”.
“I have discussed with her those matters and the support provided to her at the time in the messages that were sent to her,” he told parliament.
Morrison subsequently spoke briefly with Brown for the first and only time, she claims.
“We’ve spoken, haven’t we?” he allegedly said.
The filing said a “bewildered” Brown responded “yes” and Morrison walked off.
“(Brown) complained that she felt frightened, intimidated and distressed by prime minister Morrison,” the filing said.
The former prime minister has been contacted for comment.
The ex-aide also accuses Morrison and his top-level advisers of stopping her from personally responding to allegedly false allegations made by Higgins.
Higgins’ appearance on Network Ten’s The Project included identifying Brown by name and accusing her of misconduct for the mishandling of the rape, the documents said.
Brown also claimed that, contradicting Higgins’ claim was a text she allegedly sent to Brown, thanking her for her support immediately after the rape.
Suing under the Fair Work Act, Brown alleges the federal government scapegoated and sidelined her, causing her psychological injury to the point she attempted suicide.
In an earlier Federal Court case, Justice Michael Lee found she had shown compassion and integrity in her handling of Higgins’ complaint but she had been unfairly “vilified as an unfeeling apparatchik” seeking to cover up a crime.
Lee’s finding that, on the balance of probabilities, Bruce Lehrmann raped Higgins was confirmed by the full Federal Court in December.
Lehrmann’s criminal trial was derailed due to juror misconduct.