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4m ago 18.55 EDT
Dreyfus stands by Higgins decision
Mark Dreyfus said the text messages that have been published between Brittany Higgins and her partner did not raise any questions about the actions of then Labor frontbenchers that need to be further investigated.
The Australian this morning reports that text messages between Higgins and boyfriend David Sharaz have suggested the pair had contact with senior Labor politicians who the couple believed could support the claim.
Lisa Millar:
You’re confident of that, though? You’re confident you have all the information you need?
Dreyfus:
I made the decision to settle this claim in accordance with the legal services direction. It was an entirely regular decision. None of those texts are new.
Updated at 18.58 EDT
13m ago 18.46 EDT
‘Linda Reynolds can do what she likes’
Circling back to the attorney general’s interview with ABC News, Mark Dreyfus says Liberal senator Linda Reynolds can make whatever referral she likes to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nacc), as “anyone is free to make a referral”.
As my colleague Josh Butler reports this morning, Reynolds says she may raise a government compensation payment made to her former staffer Brittany Higgins with the Nacc, highlighting concerns about the speed of the process and the “fairness” of the Labor government’s handling of the case.
Higgins alleges she was raped by fellow staffer Bruce Lehrmann in the senator’s office. Lehrmann was charged but vehemently denied the allegations and maintained his innocence. The initial trial was aborted last year due to jury misconduct and prosecutors dropped the charges against Lehrmann amid concerns about the impact a second trial could have on Higgins’ mental health.
Dreyfus says:
This decision, which I made, was made as in exactly the same way as attorneys general for many, many years, under the legal services direction. It was an entirely regular decision.
And Linda Reynolds can do what she likes. Anyone is free to make a referral to the National Anti-Corruption Commission if that’s what she wants to do.
It’s an independent decision by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and I have made it very, very clear, I’m not going have quotes about what the National Anti-Corruption Commission should or not be doing.
Updated at 18.59 EDT
22m ago 18.37 EDT A quarter of homes are bought mortgage-free, property data firm says
More than a quarter of homes were bought without a mortgage last year, suggesting there’s a…
2023-06-07 17:40:04
Source from www.theguardian.com
