The Insiders panel of Samantha Maiden, Phil Coorey, and Lenore Taylor discuss the judgement in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial, with Justice Michael Lee ruling that on the balance of probabilities Lehrmann raped his colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial suite inside Parliament House in 2019. The judgement was hailed by journalist Lisa Wilkinson as a vindication of her story, but it also included strong criticism of key parts of the The Project’s broadcast – particularly the suggestion that members of the Morrison government and their staff had covered-up the sexual assault.
David Speers interviews Opposition Leader Peter Dutton about the government’s role following the week of violence in Sydney, nuclear power, and the Lehrmann verdict. The panel also discuss defence spending and delays to the EPBC act.