The text to Ms Higgins from her friend,a man who also worked as a ministerial adviser,said he had spoken to another colleague in the Prime Minister’s office.The Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age have seen the text.
The friend had asked Ms Higgins if she wanted him to “reach out to PMO” and she told him it would be “potentially helpful” for him to have the conversation,a step he took within two hours.
“Spoke to PMO,” the friend told Ms Higgins on April 3,2019,without naming the man in the PMO he had spoken to.
“He was mortified to hear about it and how things have been handled. He’s going to discuss with COS – no one else. I flagged need for councillor[sic] and desire to be closer to home during election.”
Ms Higgins replied:“Thank you for doing that. Honestly I really appreciate it.”
The mention of the COS,or chief of staff,appears to be a reference to John Kunkel,the top adviser in the Prime Minister’s office.
The text message to Ms Higgins does not convey what Dr Kunkel may have said and does not confirm a conversation with Dr Kunkel,because Ms Higgins’ friend spoke to an adviser in the Prime Minister’s office rather than Dr Kunkel directly.
The text messages did not confirm the identity of the adviser said to have been “mortified” butThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age approached two people said to be involved in the exchange. One declined to comment and another did not respond.
Dr Kunkel and another PMO adviser,principal private secretary Yaron Finkelstein,knew of an incident involving Ms Higgins at this time,but no files or messages have emerged to show they knew it was an alleged rape.
The alleged rape took place on Saturday,March 23,in the office of Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds. The minister’s chief of staff called Ms Higgins and her alleged assailant into separate meetings on the Tuesday. He was fired that day. On the Thursday,Ms Higgins told the chief of staff it was an assault and she had woken with the man on top of her. The following Monday,April 1,Ms Higginstold Senator Reynolds directly about her experience.
Mr Morrison said he asked Mr Gaetjens on Friday morning to add the textto his inquiries.
“We’ve had that conversation that morning and I would expect that to be considered within the scope of what he is already doing,” he said.
Key facts are contested in the government account of who knew about the events,given Ms Higgins said this week Mr Finkelstein called her last year to “check in” on her. Mr Morrison said there was no record of that call.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said Mr Morrison’s claims were “not credible” given what had emerged this week.
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“And the dissembling nature of his answers before the Parliament is not good enough,” he said.
Mr Albanese said the text message revealed on Friday showed it “defied belief” for the government to argue that the matter was not raised within the Prime Minister’s office ahead of the election in May 2019.
“I’ll say this about Ms Higgins,she has shown great bravery this week,” he said.
“And for her to not get the respect of getting straight and clear answers about what the response was at the time,about who was told and what they were told at the time,is disrespectful of Ms Higgins.
“I believe Brittany Higgins. Brittany Higgins deserves better than the way that she has been treated with the lack of government transparency this week.”