Essential Reading

Insights from Quadrant
Insights from Quadrant

The pong worsens

In today’s Australian, midway through a long and meticulous accounting of contacts between Brittany Higgins, her beau David Sharaz and senior Labor figures, including the current Prime Minister, there is this:

….Senator Gallagher was responsible for the department that paid out a confidential settlement believed to be up to $3m to Ms Higgins in December over her claim she was not properly supported by Senator Reynolds and others after the ­alleged sexual assault.

The Albanese government barred Senator Reynolds from providing evidence in the case, threatening to tear up an agreement to pay her legal fees unless she agreed not to attend the one-day mediation, meaning that Ms Higgins’ claims of mistreatment in Senator Reynolds’ office were not contested.

At the time, Mr Albanese declined to answer questions about whether it was a conflict of interest for Senator Gallagher to have oversight of the deal, given her earlier engagement on the issue and whether she should ­recuse herself from any involvement in it…

Of particular note (emphasis added):

In June 2021, Senator Gallagher expressed outrage when former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds claimed she had been tipped off that Labor had been aware of the allegations before they became public and planned to use them.

No-one had any knowledge. How dare you,’’ Senator Gallagher said.

As The Australian‘s reports and the texts of February 11, 2021 between Higgins and Sharaz confirm (reproduced atop this post), Senator Gallagher was said to be “really invested” five months before she insisted she wasn’t.

Labor campaigned ardently at the last election for a national anti-corruption commission,  which will commence operations on July 1. Looks like it has its first case.

— roger franklin

Insights from Quadrant

June’s Quadrant
now on sale

Essential Reading

Insights from Quadrant
Insights from Quadrant

The pong worsens

In today’s Australian, midway through a long and meticulous accounting of contacts between Brittany Higgins, her beau David Sharaz and senior Labor figures, including the current Prime Minister, there is this:

….Senator Gallagher was responsible for the department that paid out a confidential settlement believed to be up to $3m to Ms Higgins in December over her claim she was not properly supported by Senator Reynolds and others after the ­alleged sexual assault.

The Albanese government barred Senator Reynolds from providing evidence in the case, threatening to tear up an agreement to pay her legal fees unless she agreed not to attend the one-day mediation, meaning that Ms Higgins’ claims of mistreatment in Senator Reynolds’ office were not contested.

At the time, Mr Albanese declined to answer questions about whether it was a conflict of interest for Senator Gallagher to have oversight of the deal, given her earlier engagement on the issue and whether she should ­recuse herself from any involvement in it…

Of particular note (emphasis added):

In June 2021, Senator Gallagher expressed outrage when former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds claimed she had been tipped off that Labor had been aware of the allegations before they became public and planned to use them.

No-one had any knowledge. How dare you,’’ Senator Gallagher said.

As The Australian‘s reports and the texts of February 11, 2021 between Higgins and Sharaz confirm (reproduced atop this post), Senator Gallagher was said to be “really invested” five months before she insisted she wasn’t.

Labor campaigned ardently at the last election for a national anti-corruption commission,  which will commence operations on July 1. Looks like it has its first case.

— roger franklin

Insights from Quadrant

June’s Quadrant
now on sale