Lisa Wilkinson takes the stand on the Bruce Lehrmann trial

Sue Chrysanthou rose in Court 22A of the Federal Court at 10.29am on Thursday and uttered the phrases keen observers had been ready to listen to since late November.

‘Your Honour, I name Lisa Wilkinson,’ the barrister mentioned as her consumer obtained up from the identical entrance row seat she had occupied because the begin of Bruce Lehrmann‘s defamation trial. 

Wilkinson was sporting a peach-coloured pants swimsuit and had her Member of the Order of Australia stud pinned to the left lapel of her double-breasted jacket. 

She selected to take an affirmation, quite than swearing on the Bible, and burdened the final components of the acquainted outdated promise to inform the entire fact ‘and nothing, however, the fact.’

As Wilkinson sat down within the witness field she poured a glass of water from a jug. She could have instantly regretted that call when Justice Michael Lee mentioned he would take a morning tea break at 11.45am.

‘I’ll simply attempt to not drink an excessive amount of water,’ she joked. 

As it occurred, the primary break got here 5 minutes early and Wilkinson rapidly left to go to the bathroom. ‘I feel there’s going to be a line-up,’ she mentioned leaving the court docket.

That introduced an issue for Chrysanthou, who can’t discuss to her consumer throughout cross-examination and the senior counsel didn’t want to be confined with Wilkinson in the one feminine amenities on the ground.

This was the sixteenth day of listening to in Lehrmann’s defamation motion, by which he’s suing Wilkinson and Network Ten over a February 2021 interview on The Project.

In that interview, former political staffer Brittany Higgins claimed she had been raped by a colleague in March 2019 on Senator Linda Reynolds’ workplace sofa.

Higgins and Wilkinson didn’t title Lehrmann – who has at all times denied having had any sexual contact together with her – however he alleges he was simply identifiable. 

Lehrmann was later charged with raping Higgins however his trial within the ACT Supreme Court was aborted in October final 12 months on account of juror misconduct.

That trial had been delayed for 3 months after Wilkinson gave a controversial speech on the 2022 Logies the place she gained a statuette for Most Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs in recognition of the Higgins interview.

Wilkinson can’t show whether or not or not a rape occurred however is giving proof to point out she did all she might to ascertain Higgins was telling the reality earlier than The Project interview was broadcast.

She was required to do not more than state her full title of Lisa Clare Wilkinson and occupation for Chrysanthou earlier than Lehrmann’s barrister Matthew Richardson SC took over.

Richardson started taking Wilkinson by an affidavit by which she wrote that after her first assembly with Higgins in January 2021 she had tried to corroborate all the pieces the younger lady advised her. 

Wilkinson remained composed and assured throughout most of her testimony as Richardson urged there have been contradictions in Higgins’s model of what had occurred in Parliament House. 

The witness accepted she had ‘developed, carried out and delivered’ the story that was ultimately broadcast on The Project. 

Wilkinson advised the court docket that regardless of commencing her media profession in 1978 she had by no means had any actual coaching concerning the legal guidelines of contempt or the idea of sub judice.

Richardson then performed Wilkinson’s Logies acceptance speech, which was delivered eight days earlier than Lehrmann’s trial was on account of begin. 

‘Brittany Higgins was a political drawback,’ Wilkinson had mentioned. ‘And governments have a tendency to love political issues to go away. But Brittany by no means did. 

‘And the reality is, this honour belongs to Brittany. It belongs to a 26-year-old lady’s unwavering braveness.

‘It belongs to a lady who mentioned “enough”. It belongs to a lady who impressed greater than 100,000 thousand equally p***ed exhausted ladies and men to take to the streets throughout this nation to roar in numbers too huge to disregard.

‘Brittany, thanks for trusting me.

‘Thank you for serving to to alter the nationwide dialog. And on behalf of the entire generations of ladies to come back, thanks, Brittany, for by no means giving up.’

Richardson needed to know if Wilkinson believed that speech was telling the lots of of hundreds of viewers watching it that Higgins’s claims have been all true.

Wilkinson answered that was not what she’d mentioned in her speech and he or she didn’t have a ‘superpower’ to get contained in the minds of the viewers. 

Thursday’s viewers for Wilkinson’s testimony was the most important she’d confronted for greater than a 12 months. She stop The Project in November 2022, blaming ‘focused toxicity’ from sections of the media. 

Shortly earlier than lunchtime, virtually 20,000 members of the general public have been watching her proof on the Federal Court’s YouTube channel.

At one level Wilkinson apologised to anybody listening in for a graphic description she gave of what Higgins had advised her concerning the alleged rape in Senator Reynolds’ workplace. 

She additionally expressed remorse when Richardson learn a transcript of a recording by which she referred to Reynolds as ‘this f***ing lady’.  

‘I apologise for my language,’ Wilkinson advised the court docket and people viewers watching at residence. 

Richardson put to Wilkinson she had been extra involved with rankings than investigating the reality of Higgins’ claims when her interview was aired on The Project.

Wilkinson agreed with Richardson she was ‘utterly dedicated to supporting Ms Higgins’ however denied she had no real interest in correctly scrutinising her story.

Richardson: ‘You have been thrilled by the riveting industrial story she advised’.

Wilkinson didn’t like that line in any respect and took a second to pause earlier than she raised her voice to reply.

‘Please do not make me sound like an inexpensive tabloid journalist, Mr Richardson,’ mentioned the previous Today host and editor of Dolly and Cleo.

Wilkinson denied her Logies speech had been ‘reckless and ill-advised’ or that she had put her ‘satisfaction and ego’ forward of Lehrmann’s proper to a good trial. 

In different proof, Wilkinson was requested why The Project had not proven the total content material of a textual content Reynolds’ chief of employees Fiona Brown despatched to Higgins within the days after the alleged sexual assault. 

Missing from the textual content a couple of assembly to debate what had occurred was Brown telling Higgins she might carry her father for assist. 

‘The vagaries of primetime tv stays that viewers have quick consideration spans,’ Wilkinson mentioned, explaining it was simpler to point out shorter messages.

On event Wilkinson ventured into delivering mini lectures or sermons. At least twice Justice Michael Lee needed to inform Wilkinson to restrict herself to answering the questions. 

Several instances Wilkinson appeared to take umbrage when Richardson questioned her professionalism as a journalist. 

Asked whether or not inconsistencies in Higgins’s statements meant her account is perhaps unreliable, Wilkinson advised Richardson, ‘Maybe I’m simply attuned to studying between the traces greater than you might be’.

‘I’m studying between the traces,’ she mentioned at one other level. ‘That’s what we are likely to do as journalists.’

Several instances Wilkinson advised the barrister, whose father is onetime Labor powerbroker and Keating authorities minister Graham Richardson, that she additionally understood the ‘vagaries’ of politics.

‘I understand how politics works Mr Richardson,’ she advised her questioner.

After lunch, Lehrmann moved from his typical seat within the entrance row of the gallery to take a place subsequent to his authorized workforce on the bar desk.  

In the day’s final session Richardson quoted the opening traces of The Project episode which contained the Higgins interview: ‘A younger lady pressured to decide on between her profession and the pursuit of justice’. 

Wilkinson was in a position to quote these phrases again completely with out referring to notes, virtually three years after this system was screened. 

Throughout her proof Wilkinson persistently denied overlooking perceived issues with Higgins’s story and mentioned she had executed all she might to get to the reality of the matter.

‘I really feel we investigated this story extraordinarily nicely Mr Richardson,’ she mentioned. 

Wilkinson will return to the witness field on Friday.