Almost four years after her high-profile sexual assault allegation against a former parliamentary colleague rocked Australian politics, Brittany Higgins has announced a formal return to the national political sphere, taking on a leadership role dedicated to pushing back against growing misogyny and the mainstreaming of far-right ideological positions across the country.
The appointment was made public by the Vida Fund, an Australian advocacy organisation that works to support independent female candidates running on platforms of gender equality reform. Higgins will step into the role of executive director, tasking herself with building and rolling out a new national gender equality strategy to keep equity at the forefront of Australian political discourse.
In her first public remarks following the appointment, Higgins framed the move as a timely response to shifting political tides. “We are entering a period where misogyny, extremism are becoming increasingly organised and visible. Vida intends to meet that moment with evidence-based advocacy, strategic campaigning and community-backed action,” she said.
She specifically called out right-wing political groups for normalising anti-gender rhetoric, noting that “One Nation and the new right are trying to mainstream misogyny on a scale Australians have never seen before.” Higgins also targeted former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, criticising his push for restrictions on reproductive rights that echo divisive U.S. conservative policy battles, adding “it has never been more important to get organised and take action.”
This role marks Higgins’ first formal permanent position within Australian political advocacy after her 2021 allegation that she was raped by then-parliamentary colleague Bruce Lehrmann inside Parliament House. Lehrmann has consistently denied all allegations against him. A 2022 criminal trial against Lehrmann was aborted after juror misconduct, and all criminal charges were subsequently dropped. However, when Lehrmann launched a civil defamation suit against media outlet Network 10 and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over their reporting of the allegation, the Federal Court ruled on the balance of probabilities that the rape did occur, leading Lehrmann to lose the case.
In the years following the initial allegation, Higgins and her husband David Sharaz have faced ongoing legal battles. Most recently, former senator Linda Reynolds, who was Higgins’ boss at the time of the alleged incident, launched a defamation suit against the pair over a series of critical social media posts about Reynolds’ handling of the allegation. The WA Supreme Court ruled in Reynolds’ favour, ordering Higgins and Sharaz to pay $341,000 in damages, a ruling that ultimately left the couple bankrupt.