Lisa Wilkinson has refuted allegations that she approached Anthony Albanese and Tanya Pliberzeg to seek their involvement in parliament regarding Brittany Higgins. These claims were revealed during Channel 7’s Spotlight show on Sunday night. During an off-the-record conversation with Ms. Higgins and her partner David Sharaz, Wilkinson discussed which politicians might help advance the story.
Although the conversation was recorded, Wilkinson, the former host of Channel 10’s The Project, stated that she had never spoken to any politicians, including Albanese and Plibersek, about how to progress the story. In a statement issued on June 6, she said, “I haven’t spoken to other politicians, their thinkers or doers.”
Natalie Barr, the host of Sunrise, questioned whether Wilkinson “coached” Higgins on her pre-interview responses in 2021. Channel 7 aired an interview with The Project on Sunday night, featuring previously unseen surveillance footage and audio recordings.
In the unrecorded conversations, Wilkinson informed Higgins that she didn’t want to “put words” in her mouth but wanted her to discuss the culture in parliament. Wilkinson expressed confidence that Higgins would answer the question eloquently but advised her to consider it beforehand. She said, “I don’t want to argue with you, but if you can see that this place is about suppressing people’s natural justice.”
The conversation took place before the sit-down interview, with Sharaz as a guest. At one point, Sharaz acknowledged that they were aware of the transactional nature of the situation and asked Wilkinson about her intentions. She clarified that it wasn’t a transaction for her and emphasized her motivation to give a voice to deserving individuals who are not being heard.
The audio recordings were obtained by Channel 10 under a subpoena during a criminal trial, although most of the material was not presented to the jury. Bruce Lehrmann has filed a defamation lawsuit against Wilkinson and Channel 10 in the federal court.
During the Sunrise show, Barr asked entertainment commentator Peter Ford about the audio of the conversation between Wilkinson and Higgins and whether it was causing any issues. Ford responded by saying, “It’s a good line, isn’t it? But generally, when people say, ‘I don’t want to put words in your mouth,’ that’s exactly what they want to do.”
In the recording played during the trial, Sharaz mentioned that if the story lost momentum in the parliamentary seats, politicians would have to answer questions, creating a mess for them. He mentioned his friend Katy Gallagher, who works in the Labor Party, and suggested she would investigate and take action.
Wilkinson also criticized former Liberal Deputy Leader Julie Bishop in the recording, expressing frustration with Bishop’s failure to speak out against the culture and the lack of progress for women in parliament. Sharaz interjected by commenting on Bishop’s loyalty, saying she was always a bridesmaid but never a bride.
The discussion then turned to whether Bishop would speak up or support Michaelia Cash and Linda Reynolds instead. Wilkinson remarked that they were all from Perth and added, “They were never friends.” In her memoir, Higgins also mentioned that they never liked each other. Sharaz further commented that Bishop had no friends.
