Parliament House rape accuser Brittany Higgins launches formal complaint with Scott Morrison’s office over claims his staff briefed against her boyfriend
- Brittany Higgins has filed a complaint with the Prime Minister’s chief of staff
- Ms Higgins is furious at claims the PM’s office backgrounded against her partner
- Claims were made after Ms Higgins alleged she was raped at Parliament House
Brittany Higgins has filed a formal complaint with the Prime Minister’s office over claims his staff backgrounded journalists in a bid to undermine her boyfriend David Sharaz.
The claims were made after Ms Higgins came forward to allege she was raped by a former Liberal staffer inside a Parliament House office in 2019.
Ms Higgins sent a letter of complaint to Scott Morrison’s chief of staff John Kunkel on Thursday after the Prime Minister suggested nobody from the parliamentary press gallery had raised accusations of backgrounding with his office.
Speaking on ABC Radio on Thursday, Mr Morrison indicated only ‘second or third hand’ allegations had been made about the briefings so far, rather than a complaint from Ms Higgins or her partner.
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Hours later, Ms Higgins sent her formal complaint.
Mr Sharaz, is a former public servant who once worked with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
‘In the days following my interview with The Project regarding my experience in Parliament House, I was made aware by numerous journalists about the backgrounding that was happening against my partner,’ the complaint read.
Brittany Higgins has filed a complaint with Scott Morrison’s chief of staff over claims the Prime Minister’s Office backgrounded journalists against her boyfriend David Sharaz (the couple are pictured together)
The letter of complaint sent by Ms Higgins to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff John Kunkel on Thursday
Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) on Thursday said suggested nobody from the parliamentary press gallery had raised accusations of backgrounding with his office
‘To my knowledge, this was being done by staff within the Prime Minister’s media team.’
In an interview with The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson last month, Ms Higgins broke down in tears as she told how she was allegedly raped inside Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ parliamentary office in Canberra.
Ms Higgins, who was 24-years-old and in her dream career as a media adviser to Senator Reynolds at the time of the alleged rape, also claimed she felt pressured to stay silent for fear of losing her job.
Mr Morrison has been asked more than a dozen times in the parliament whether he has investigated allegations his staff tried to privately undermine Ms Higgins or her loved ones.
He was asked again during a radio interview on Thursday whether he could say categorically that his office had not engaged in such behaviour.
‘There has been no one in the gallery, nothing has been raised with my office from anyone in the gallery making any of those accusations or any discomfort about anything that my office has done,’ Mr Morrison told ABC Radio.
‘People make allegations all the time second, third-hand. But there’s no one who has raised that with my chief of staff out of the gallery, no.’
Shortly after his comments, Ms Higgins lodged the formal complaint.
Brittany Higgins (pictured) has also requested to provide evidence to an inquiry into which of the prime minister’s staff knew of her rape allegations
Pictured: Brittany Higgins with her boyfriend David Sharaz. Ms Higgins said in her complaint she was ‘made aware by numerous journalists about the backgrounding that was happening against my partner’
Network 10 political editor Peter Van Onselen claimed on ABC radio last month the Prime Minister’s Office ‘has been backgrounding that her partner, her now partner, has a vendetta, or a gripe might be the better way to put it, against the government because of him being a former public servant’.
Ms Higgins has also requested to provide evidence to department secretary Phil Gaetjens, who is running an inquiry into which of the prime minister’s staff knew of her rape allegations before they were made public.
The investigation has been put on hold while police investigate the rape allegations.
‘It is my express desire to present my evidence to Mr Gaetjens at the appropriate time once the review recommences,’ Ms Higgins wrote.
