Brittany Higgins has stepped down from her prominent public relations position just five months after expressing her eagerness to re-enter the workforce.
The former staffer for the Liberal Party, recently declared bankrupt following a lawsuit by her ex-employer Linda Reynolds, took on the role of director of public affairs with the independent firm Third Hemisphere in May.
Her new position was highlighted in an extensive interview with the Australian Financial Review in June, where she pondered, “How long do I have to be the story for?”
The interview didn’t elaborate on her remark, but it alluded to her being in the spotlight due to numerous TV interviews, public speeches, and prolonged legal battles surrounding her 2019 sexual assault case against former colleague Bruce Lehrmann at Parliament House.
Lehrmann was judged on the civil standard of proof to have assaulted Higgins, a verdict that was maintained by a court of appeal earlier this December.
Higgins shared the article on Instagram along with the caption, ‘Your girl is finally back in the workforce!’
Nevertheless, Higgins’ triumph was short-lived.
She is now absent from the agency’s website, and her own LinkedIn profile indicates she left the company in October.
Brittany Higgins is pictured with her husband David Sharaz and their son, Freddie
Ms Higgins shared her new job Instagram in June, with the caption: ‘Your girl is finally back in the workforce!’
Pictured: A screenshot of Brittany Higgins’ LinkedIn profile, indicating she left the PR firm in October. She is not named on the agency’s website
The reason for her departure is unclear, but it came just two months after she lost her defamation case against Ms Reynolds, forcing Higgins and her husband David Sharaz, who conceded defeat in his own defamation proceedings, into bankruptcy.
Mr Sharaz joined the same PR firm in March and is still listed on the agency’s website as a director.
According to the Australian Financial Security Authority, the couple would have to make contributions to Ms Reynolds if they earned an annual salary worth more than $87,396.
If Mr Sharaz had to support two dependents, Higgins and their son, he would be able to earn $94,062.42 before anything was given to Ms Reynolds.
Speaking about her new job in June, she told the newspaper that her move to Third Hemisphere followed a connection with the firm’s founder and CEO Hannah Moreno, who is a rape and domestic violence survivor.
‘There was this general feeling of ‘how long do I have to be the story for?’ At what point do I get to put it to rest… and have my own identity outside this narrative of Brittany Higgins,’ Higgins said.
‘I also have a brand reputation and I don’t want to align myself in a corporate sense with someone that could be doing something untoward.’
Higgins said the role would be her first steps in following her role models, including Governor-General Samantha Mostyn, Indigenous social activist and business executive Tanya Hosch, and business executive Christine Holgate.
Linda Reynolds is pictured outside the WA Supreme Court in August, after winning her defamation case against Brittany Higgins
Bruce Lehrmann was found on a civil scale to have raped Brittany Higgins in 2019, which he denies
Her role involved working with clients on reputation management and strategic advocacy, stakeholder engagement, media relations, and public affairs initiatives that create public discussion.
Bankruptcy proceedings following her defamation loss came in August.
Ms Reynolds successfully argued that a series of social media posts by Higgins and Mr Sharaz in 2022 and 2023 damaged her reputation and impacted her health.
Justice Paul Tottle found the posts wrongly implied Reynolds engaged in a campaign of harassment against Higgins, mishandled her rape allegation, and engaged in questionable conduct during Lehrmann’s criminal trial in 2022.
Higgins was ordered to pay $340,000 in damages and interest, along with 80 per cent of the senator’s legal costs, worth an estimated $1 million, as well as her own legal costs, worth an estimated $600,000.
Mr Sharaz conceded defeat in early 2024 and was ordered to pay $85,000.
It came almost three years after she landed a $2.45 million settlement following her civil case against the Commonwealth, launched over the way her rape complaint was handled by Ms Reynolds and her former chief of staff, Fiona Brown.
She was “diagnosed as medically unfit for any form of employment, and had been given a very poor prognosis for future employment,” according to her draft statement of claim.
Pictured: Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz’s old house in France
Brittany Higgins is pictured at her former home in France, when she was pregnant with Freddie
More than half of the sum was in respect of her loss of earnings, while the rest was made up of medical expenses, legal costs and ‘$400,000 for hurt, distress and humiliation’.
The couple purchased the house in France using the proceeds of the settlement, of which she said she retained about $1.9 million.
Ms Reynolds has been highly critical of the settlement because she was not allowed to defend herself against the untested claims against her.
Following the settlement, Higgins and Mr Sharaz went on a series of holidays, rented a Gold Coast property for about a year, dressed in designer gear, bought a house in France, and spent more than $100,000 on their Australian wedding.
She then sold her house in France to cover her legal costs associated with the defamation case, gave birth to her first child, and relocated to Melbourne.
By the time bankruptcy proceedings commenced, the court heard Higgins’ estate was worth about $10,000.
Third Hemisphere and Higgins have been contacted for comment.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Ms Higgins was sacked due to the bankruptcy.
