Scott Morrison has again given his support to Linda Reynolds, who came under fire for calling Brittnay Higgins a "lying cow" after the former staffer made rape allegations.
The Defence Minister apologised for her remarks today after a law firm representing Ms Higgins issued a demand for "an immediate and unequivocal public withdrawal of (Ms Reynolds') comments and (an) apology to our client for the hurt and distress caused".
The prime minister agreed Ms Reynolds was right to issue an apology, but said the comments made in front of her staffers did not put her job on the line.
"Linda Reynolds is returning. She's currently on leave and will return to her duties when her leave is finished. She maintains my confidence," Mr Morrison said.
Yesterday, The Australian reported the defence minister, who is currently on medical leave, made the remark in front of staffers on the day Ms Higgins went public with her rape allegations.
Ms Higgins, a former Liberal staffer, came forward last month with allegations she was raped by a colleague in Senator Reynolds' office in 2019.
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"A report in The Australian attributed some remarks to me regarding the very serious allegations made by my former staff member, Ms Brittany Higgins," Ms Reynolds said in a statement.
"I have never questioned Ms Higgins' account of her alleged sexual assault and have always sought to respect her agency in this matter.
"In response to a letter from Ms Higgins' lawyers yesterday afternoon, discussions are now underway through our legal representatives in an effort to resolve this matter as soon as possible, with any resolution to include an apology.
"However, in the meantime, I want to express how deeply sorry I am for these remarks and for any hurt and distress they have caused".
A legal letter was circulated to media outlets last night by the firm representing Ms Higgins
The letter reads: "The demeaning and belittling statement, in which you refer to our client as a member of the animal kingdom and declare her to be untruthful, is highly defamatory of our client's good character and unblemished reputation."
The firm, Company (Giles) said the letter constituted a "Concerns Notice" under defamation legislation.
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A Concerns Notice is a communique sent to a person who has made allegedly defamatory statements, prior to commencing legal proceedings for defamation.
In a statement yesterday, Senator Reynolds did not dispute using the term, but sought to clarify the context of the comment.
"I have never questioned Ms Higgins' account of her alleged sexual assault and have always sought to respect her agency in this matter," she said.
"I did however comment on news reports regarding surrounding circumstances that I felt had been misrepresented.
"I have consistently respected Ms Higgins' agency and privacy and said this is her story to tell and no one else's."
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