In explosive new claims, Brittany Higgins has revealed that Linda Reynolds’ and Michaela Cash’s office was aware of ‘an incident’ (an alleged rape) in January 2021, despite Reynolds’ office claiming “no prior knowledge” of the incident.
“Powerful institutions are attempting to destroy her for the crime of embarrassing them,” journalist Bernand Keane reported for Crikey.
A translated conversation between Ms Higgins and Daniel Try, Michaela Cash’s Chief of Staff member at the time, in January 2021 is published below.
These conversations, between Mr Try and Ms Higgins, were held before Ms Higgins came forward with her allegations and clearly show Micheala Cash’s chief of staff, Mr Try – and we can therefore assume – Scott Morrison’s entire cabinet may have known of the alleged ‘incident’.
In the transcript, Michaela Cash’s Chief of Staff, Daniel Try, refers to January 2021 as “the attack.”
Despite several requests, the Federal Liberal Party office has not responded to VicNews’ questions such as “To which ‘attack’ exactly was Daniel Try, referring in January 2021?”
“No, no. I know myself and the minister [Cash] have really tried to make sure we can do everything, but at the same time, I don’t want to, I don’t want you to feel we’re treating you differently,” Try responded to Higgins in January 2021.
In the interest of transparency we’ve published (what is available of) the transcript of Ms Higgins’ conversation with Daniel Try, of Reynolds’ office, in January 2021:
DANIEL TRY (DT): “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
BRITTANY HIGGINS (BH): “No, no. That’s OK. I think it sort of started after the Four Corners thing. It just sort of – “
DT: “This was relating to the attack – [?] “
BH: “Yeah, just the Bruce [Lehrmann] assault thing. And I don’t know, it just has been like a thing that started to happen.”
DT: “Oh, Britanny. I’m sorry.”
DT: “No, look, I haven’t heard anything at all since that particular [inaudible 00:03:18]. And that was, what? That was”
BH: “Forever ago.”
DT: “Was that the end of 2019 or earlier? At least a year ago, and – “
BH: “I don’t know why, just every once in a while, when I think those sorts of stories come up again, it just rehashes it and because … I don’t know. It just was yeah … I’ve just been having difficulty with it and … So that’s why I took a personal day off yesterday. Because I’m seeing a new psychiatrist who’s helping me out and … “
DT: “And then I heard Bruce was working for a tobacco company or something, but wasn’t in the building or anything and didn’t have a [parliamentary] pass. But in terms of the journalist, there’s been absolutely nothing.
And I think, particularly in this circumstance, less likely it is to be a story of interest. It just becomes a rumoured incident, which happened, what, nearly two years [ago] now? So it becomes less of a story for them.
I think from an estimates point of view, I know the AFP were worried about it, but I don’t think any senator at all would touch this thing with a 10-foot pole. Absolutely … The only thing, I just want to make sure, is there anything more we can do, or anything we haven’t done? I mean, I said that – .”
DT: “The Four Corners side of things. Is there anything … I mean anything, given that our office was dragged into it a bit?”
BH: “No, no. It’s not this office. It’s nothing about the office.”
DT: “No, no. I know myself and the minister [Cash] have really tried to make sure we can do everything, but at the same time, I don’t want to, I don’t want you to feel we’re treating you differently.”
BH: “No, no. You’re not at all, at all. Everything’s fine … it felt upsetting just on the basis that I was handling it so well and I was trying to be a team player and keeping it all in-house and doing everything … “
DT: “Yeah. OK. All right. Look, let me make a few calls, but we’ll do our best to find it. Was there anything else we can do from this end ..?
BH: “No. Our office is great. It was just that temporary office where it was handled weirdly and it was timing of the election and everything that made it so much more intense and pressurised.
And I can accept that, and that’s fine. I’ve moved on from that, but it’s just when I needed a clarity and then feeling like I was being stonewalled, it really … I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m [inaudible 00:08:20] so much.”
DT: “No, Britanny it’s … And look it’s a situation where … Don’t imagine I have any idea what you’re going through, but I suppose you’ve got the side of things when it was … how it was handled in the office at the time, but also your long-term mental health.
And that’s probably something better … Are you seeing a doctor or a counselor [sic] that we can refer you to, or …?”
BH: “Yeah. Yeah. That’s where I went on Wednesday. I’ve got a new … a good psychiatrist that my dad’s helped me sort out and stuff, but it’s just … I think it was just really difficult and I just need to vocalise it to someone and I don’t know how to contact Fiona, and I don’t really know how or who or what.”
DT: “No, no. Britanny, you can always talk to me or the minister any type about these sorts of things.”
BH: “I know. It was just that it was all handled in that office. And now, that office, as it was, doesn’t exist. And so it’s this stress that still comes up every once in a while.”
DT: “Where are my tissues? Sorry.”
BH: “No. No. I’m good. I’m good. I’ll go the bathroom [inaudible 00:02:58]. No, no, no. It’s okay.”
DT: “I’m hopeless.”
This article was amended Sunday, June 18, 2023. Daniel Try was Michaela Cash’s Chief of Staff, not a staff member of Linda Reynolds’ office as reported earlier. We apologise for the error.
 in January 2021, despite Reynolds' office claiming "no prior knowledge" of the incident.){kind=link}