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Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds didn't tell her partner about Brittany Higgins' alleged rape in her parliamentary office until the story broke in the media, a defamation trial has been told.
The former defence minister is suing her former staffer for defamation over a series of social media posts containing alleged mistruths, including about a political cover-up that she believes damaged her reputation.
On day seven of the Perth trial, Robert Reid told the court he was annoyed and in "utter amazement" when he learned about the incident in 2019.
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"Once I saw and read the … article, I had more questions. Once I saw The Project, more questions," he told the Western Australian Supreme Court today.
"I was not forensic about it because she became distressed. I said 'who did you tell? Surely you told the prime minister. No, why?' … And she said 'it's not my story to tell'. She said that repeatedly to me."
Reid said cover-ups were dangerous for senior ministers.
"Don't cover up things like this. They want them out there handled properly and not talking about it was Linda's way of handling that properly," he said.
"Brittany had asked Linda not to tell anyone about it, Linda kept that promise."
Reid said it was difficult to watch Higgins' interview on Network Ten's The Project when she accused Senator Reynolds of mishandling her alleged rape.
"I couldn't believe what I was what I was hearing. The accusations about about a cover-up, about threats of jobs," he said.
"It was painful, painful to watch.
"Linda was really angry. Here was a story being told that was not true, as far as she was concerned, as far as everyone around her was concerned."
Reid said he suggested the senator should prepare for parliament question time the next day.
"She was crying … She said 'I can only say that I can't talk about it now'," he said.
"I said 'that's that's not going to be enough' and she said 'well I can't talk about it' because she promised not to talk about it.
"I was angry. I wanted her to have some really good lines. I wanted her to work out, even with the prime minister's office about what could be said."
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Reid said the senator remained adamant that she could handle the allegations in question time by saying "it's not my story to tell".
"Linda and I spoke about tactics. (She) told me that she would be right, that she would just have to say she couldn't talk about it. I said to Linda, I'm not sure that's going to be enough," he said.
Reid watched the senator in parliament the day after Lisa Wilkinson's interview and "it was unrelenting".
"Linda told me that she was recognising that this was what Kimberley Kitching had told her before, that this reign of terror was going to occur now," he said, referring to the late Labor senator.
He said that in the days that followed "the pressure of the unrelenting attack was definitely getting to Linda".
Higgins alleged that colleague Bruce Lehrmann raped her in Senator Reynolds' office in 2019.
Lehrmann has always denied the allegation and his criminal trial was derailed by juror misconduct.
Higgins is due to leave her home in France to testify in court later in August.
Readers seeking support can contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028.
