Wilkinson denies ‘pride and ego’ drove Logies speech praising Higgins
Lisa Wilkinson has defended her reporting of Brittany Higgins’ rape claim, clashing in court with Bruce Lehrmann’s barrister over questions she said portrayed her as a “cheap tabloid journalist”.
Wilkinson, 63, took to the witness box in a Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday, rejecting allegations she deliberately gave a speech accepting an award at the Logies in 2022 that put her “pride and ego” ahead of Mr Lehrmann’s right to fair hearing at an upcoming criminal trial.
Wilkinson, a journalist with three decades of experience, was a host on Network Ten’s The Project. On February 15, 2021, The Project aired a half-hour interview with Ms Higgins about her alleged rape in an office in Parliament House in 2019.
Former The Project host Lisa Wilkinson arriving at Federal Court for Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial against Ten and herself. Rhett Wyman
Mr Lehrmann, a former Liberal staffer, is suing Network Ten and Wilkinson over the show. It did not name him, but he has argued he is identifiable from the details included. Mr Lehrmann was charged and named in August 2021 over the alleged rape, but his criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court was derailed by juror misconduct.
Prosecutors did not seek a second trial, citing concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health, and the charge was dropped. He has always strongly denied the allegations.
It is now the fourth week of Mr Lehrmann’s defamation hearing against Ten and Wilkinson. There were at times more than 19,000 people watching the livestream as one of Mr Lehrman’s barristers, Matthew Richardson, SC, interrogated Wilkinson about her research, motivation and conduct before and after the interview.
Bruce Lehrmann arrives at the Federal Court on Thursday. Rhett Wyman
“You were thrilled by the riveting commercial appeal,” Mr Richardson asked Wilkinson at one stage.
“Please don’t make me sound like a cheap tabloid journalist, Mr Richardson,” Wilkinson replied. “I reject your premise, or whatever that was.”
Mr Richardson asked her about her Logies speech, in which she said the award belonged to the then-26-year-old Ms Higgins’ “unwavering courage” that inspired 100,000 men and women to “roar in numbers too big to ignore”.
“You knew you were communicating to hundreds of thousands of people that you believed in Ms Higgins’ allegations?” Mr Richardson asked.
“I didn’t say that in that speech, Mr Richardson,” Wilkinson replied.
Mr Richardson asked: “You put your pride and your ego ahead of my client’s right to a fair trial when you gave that speech.”
“I completely disagree,” Wilkinson replied.
Federal Court Justice Michael Lee interrupted to ask if she would accept that “a woman would not be showing unwavering courage if she made a false allegation of rape against an innocent man?”
Wilkinson: “Yes, I accept that.”
Justice Lee: “Doesn’t it follow that if someone is showing unwavering courage that they are making an allegation against a guilty man?”
Wilkinson: “Yes.”
The journalist disagreed it was “reckless and ill-advised” to give the speech.
Ten and Wilkinson are relying on the defences of truth and qualified privilege in the lawsuit. The truth defence relies on the media company showing the alleged rape took place, prompting some to describe the hearing as a “de-facto rape trial”. Qualified privilege requires the defendant to show it acted reasonably, which is why Wilkinson is in the witness box.
Her evidence, and the hearing, continues tomorrow.
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