Andrew L. Urban
Was the Commonwealth negligent to pay Brittany Higgins $2.4 m in response to her claims that have now been found to be false by two judges, and will the commonwealth take steps to recoup the taxpayers’ money, asks lawyer/columnist Janet Albrechtsen (The Australian, Sept 3, 2025).
Albrechtsen isn’t the only one asking. In the wake of Justice Paul Tottle having found that Higgins did defame Linda Reynolds, after Higgins’s claims against Reynolds and Brown were, at minimum, highly contestable and, as Justice Michael Lee found, false?
Albrechtsen doesn’t widen her questions to include the settlement Reynolds paid complete with an apology, for a private comment calling Higgins a “lying cow” in reference to the very same issues that have been found to be, indeed, lies.
A pertinent question Albrechtsen lists at question No 2 (of 7), is: “What regard, if any, did the commonwealth and its various legal and bureaucratic advisers have for the evidence given in the criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann that occurred prior to the settlement or to the evidence held in its own files, concerning the treatment of Higgins by Reynolds and Brown? In particular, did it review the evidence given by Brown and Reynolds in the criminal trial, or its internal emails from Lauren Barons from the Department of Finance and others that contradicted Higgins’s claims about her treatment by Reynolds and Brown? If the commonwealth and its advisers paid no regard to that evidence that contested Higgins’s claims, why not?”
And she points out that “It’s not too late for the NACC and the Auditor-General to demand answers to these questions either.
After Tottle’s findings that some of Higgins’s key claims about a political cover-up and lack of support involving Reynolds and Brown were not merely false but “dishonest”, isn’t it time for the NACC to reopen its investigation into the payment to Higgins?”
You’d have to be a Labor minister not to agree with Albrechtsen….
G’day Andrew, its been along time, I hope you remember me, my name is Owen Allen.
My son was killed in a motor accident in Jan 23. Ex ADF, Timor, pvt Security in Iraq for many years. July 23 J lost my job, my leg pain was so bad, I suffered for a couple of years. I would say, you can see the pain in my leg, you cant see the pain in my head. Fuck, I cant write anymore shit down tonight, but I have had 3 operations, nearly bled to death internally at home and just recuperating now to a level where I am nearly ready to rock and roll. But too soon is bad, been there and suffered. My mental state has been severe, anxiety extreme, havent looked at emails for monthsyear. Been bothered by bully at caravan park, havent lived there for nearly 2 years paying fullsite fees. Cant go back under the circumstances. Was living in motels and a pub, my anxiety was so high, about homelessness I bought a camper which now I dont need; because, GOD Bless her, a social worker her knew my situation, I was also trying to help an elderly widow who had been abused more than once by this new neighbour, who also abused and threatened 3 others and I wasv5th on his list and he was raving for me to kill myself. But Praise God, I am over that, I still have to clear my caravan, I am still paying, but GOD blessed me with a beautiful unit in Casino cbd, and thanks to the social worker who initiated it on the ground. And I knocked it back, initially, and mentioned to my dr who said take it. I have lived alone now for 25 years, I lived with a woman, my ex wife forc 20 years, I was 20 when we got together, she had been married for 7 years and had 2 kids, and hadnt even matured or knew how to cope, but I know how to ride sidecar and fly an aeroplane. GOD Bless you Andrew, I hope you well, and meet you before too long. Owen.
Of course I remember you Owen, and good to hear from you even if it’s not all good…you are a survivor and a fighter. Stay strong.
Andrew. When the only evidence is the tenuous judge / prosecutor / Manockistic fictional forensics , jury fooling screenplay, then tenuous is the exact word – beautifully describes many a wrongful conviction.
Bruce Lehrmann had a very narrow escape from the spiders web – about to be done over by the political machine..
The giving of false or misleading evidence to secure a wrongful conviction – amounts to criminal misconduct of the worst possible kind ! Quoting the Chief Justice of the British Can of worms with their token CCRC . Before we show our political bias- how many different SA political State Attorney General hypocrites have kept Derrick Bromley in prison for 40 years ?
Isn’t this criminal misconduct of the worst possible kind ?
NO, NO – this type of bastardary is the normally expected behaviour of the
“Tuff on crime” brigade – from Federal Police (David Eastman 19 years) – State Police
(Graham Stafford and many others- Chamberlains , Sue Neill-Fraser etc etc not to mention the South Australian Government judges hanging murder of Ray Bailey. As is well known, the Queensland Police heroes’ torture of poor murdered Ray Bailey’s pregnant wife caused her miscarriage .
Murder of an unborn baby by known police persons ?
Andrew – there are many more books to be written – remembering that it took
400 years for the Christians hierarchy to apologise to Galileo !
So we can expect an apology from the Tasmanian Appeals Court for Sue Neill-Fraser in the next few hundred years ?Criminal misconduct of the worst possible kind ?
Will NACC conduct a further investigation into the compensation payment? The Preliminary Investigation (https://www.nacc.gov.au/news-and-media/public-disclosure-preliminary-investigation-settlement-higgins-and-cth) includes:
“Whether Ms Higgins made misrepresentations during the negotiations is not within the scope of the Commission’s jurisdiction, as at the relevant time she was not a Commonwealth public official. That question therefore was not and could not be covered by this preliminary investigation.” Which body, then, would be responsible for reviewing misrepresentations in a statement of claim paid out by tax payers?
It’s been horrifying to read some of the stalking/menacing style tweets made by D Sharaz in relation to L Reynolds – as outlined in Justice Tottle’s judgement. And how B Higgins were telling him what topics to tweet or not tweet. The timeline is revealing and includes a text message to their friend M Fisk (his wife an ALP ops manager – Higgins had disclosed allegation to them Aug 2020) – 2 Feb 2021 in relation to the Project story. “Haha Britt and I have gone for dinner. It . . . went. A very strange experience which will ultimately target two cabinet ministers, senior staff in the PM’s office and the PM himself. Weird. Very weird.
Yes, excellent question re who will investigate the compensation payout? Or will it be buried by a brazen and compromised Labor government?
Andrew. Darryl Beamish was sentenced to death – instead spent 15 years in prison when totally innocent – convicted using a false confession written for him by the future WA police commissioner-
After 50 years he was compensated for this bastardary with the grand sum of
$425,000. (after 50 years)
That being so – the payment to Higgins seems extraordinarily hasty .
More than just extraordinary – bloody amazing in its ineptitude .
The compensation for blatant police and prosecutor dishonesty leading to conviction and prison time should be set in stone – not negotiable and without any political skulduggery available .
$500,000.per year seems a reasonable start and not negotiable !
While on the hobby horse – a jury verdict of Not Proven should always be available.
We don’t bloody know !