Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape was a “devastating, incomprehensible and horrific act” that left Sen. Linda Reynolds “shaking and traumatized”

The alleged rape of Brittany Higgins in Parliament was a devastating, incomprehensible and appalling act, former foreign minister Marise Payne has said during a libel trial.

Senator Linda Reynolds is suing her former staffer, Ms Higgins, alleging her reputation was damaged by a series of social media posts containing falsehoods, including that she mishandled the response to a rape allegation.

Ms Payne told the Perth court she was “very concerned” by Ms Higgins’ alleged sexual assault and her allegations against Senator Reynolds after it was reported by the media in 2021.

“I am concerned as a senior member of government, I am concerned that these alleged events may have taken place in the parliamentary workplace and I am concerned that a young woman was part of the staff team,” she told the Western Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday.

“I found it almost incomprehensible that such an atrocious act could have taken place in our federal parliament… absolutely devastating for the individual concerned.”

Ms Payne said she was also concerned about Senator Reynolds’ allegations made by Ms Higgins about the Morrison government’s response to the 2019 incident.

“(Senator Reynolds) had a long-standing reputation for her interest and support for women’s participation in the political process… any issue that raised questions about her commitment and her level of engagement in that regard would obviously be of concern to her,” he said.

‘It would be extremely distressing to hear the gravity of the allegations made about events of some years ago.’

Ms Payne said her friend and colleague of 30 years was subjected to “an enormous amount of pressure” in the Senate chamber in the days that followed.

“A level of pressure that they had rarely seen before or since… and I found that she was so distraught and so upset by the claims that were being made about her that she was struggling to represent and answer those questions as she would have been able to do before,” he said.

‘It is very difficult to describe the pressure that exists in the parliamentary chamber and in the atmosphere of Question Time when one is specifically and aggressively targeted by one’s political opponents.

“Knowing that some of the material was distorted, in his opinion, made it even more difficult.”

Ms Payne said the stress was so great that Senator Reynolds experienced “physical trauma… a combination of shaking and what I considered rapid breathing”.

“That was very unusual for a woman I had known for three decades,” he said.

Ms Payne said she was “very concerned” about the senator’s “wellbeing and health and the impact that the (political) attacks were having on her”.

“It was deeply disturbing, deeply worrying to see your friend and colleague appear in such a situation, and I think that was the overwhelming view of the majority of our friends and colleagues in the coalition party rooms,” he said.

She said Senator Reynolds at times experienced “deep depths of despair at what had been claimed” and that it affected her emotionally, mentally and physically.

Ms Payne also said she was disappointed the senator was not appointed to a shadow portfolio after the Liberal Party lost the 2022 federal election.

“I strongly support the participation of capable women in potential roles in the Liberal Party and have done so for a long time, since February 2021,” she said.

Brittany Higgins, who is defending the defamation suit, was expected to testify at the trial, but her attorney, Rachael Young, said Monday she would not attend because of her medical conditions and because it was not necessary.