Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Gallagher. I refer the minister to her statement to the Senate earlier today regarding knowledge of the sexual assault allegations made by Ms Brittany Higgins, in which the minister stated that she 'was provided with information in the days before the allegations were first reported'. Minister, when precisely did you first learn of any aspect of the allegations?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Birmingham for the question. I don't have the exact date, but I believe that the details that were provided to me were in the week before—in the days before—the Brittany Higgins allegations went public. It was around that time.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham, your first supplementary question?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, for clarity, was the first knowledge you had of the allegations that engagement, as you've put it just now, in the days or in the weeks before The Project aired the allegations?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The first I knew of the details of the allegations, from my best recollection—I have gone back to try and find any information that would assist with being more precise, but, from my best recollection, I became aware of the specific allegations, as they related to an alleged rape in a minister's office in this building, in the week prior to those shows being published.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham, your second supplementary question?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you've referenced that you were aware, or became aware, of the details—and the specific details—in the week prior to the airing of The Project. When did you first learn of any aspect of the allegations, and how and by what means did you learn of that? How did you come to have that first understanding of the allegations?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

From my memory, it was at around the same time. I wasn't aware, for example, of other things that people knew in this place. I wasn't aware of any of that and that people had known for some time. I had no knowledge of any of that. I came into receiving some information through the partner of the young woman who was going to raise those allegations. It was put to me and asked of me to keep that information confidential, and I did.