Coalition ministers ‘covering themselves’ by ordering Brittany Higgins incident be reported to police, court hears

Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown tells Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial she defied Linda Reynolds and Alex Hawke’s orders as she did not want to take ‘agency’ from Higgins

Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown defied two Coalition ministers’ orders to report an incident involving Brittany Higgins to police in 2019 because she believed Higgins needed control over the situation, the federal court has heard.

Brown agreed with a suggestion by defence barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, for Lisa Wilkinson, that Senator Linda Reynolds and special minister of state Alex Hawke were “covering themselves”, or protecting themselves, by instructing her to make a police report.