Linda Reynolds has made a rare defence of a Greens senator who came under fire in parliament after citing her own “abuse” in the Senate following Brittany Higgins’ rape claims.
Senator Reynolds was questioned during Senate Question Time in 2021 about how she handled the rape she had suffered two years earlier, in February 2019, when Ms Higgins, her aide at the time, revealed she had been sexually assaulted.
Ms Reynolds was accused of forcing Ms Higgins to choose between filing her rape complaint and her job, and of trying to cover up the attack, which she denies.
Ms Reynolds was hospitalised with serious heart problems after a week of parliamentary scrutiny and is now suing Ms Higgins in the Supreme Court of Western Australia for repeating the allegations against her on social media.
On Wednesday she spoke of her own ordeals in relation to a situation in the Senate the night before, where Greens member Jordon Steele-John – who has cerebral palsy – was visibly angry and irritated about the NDIS reforms.
Her comments also touched on an ongoing debate about whether politicians should adhere to workplace standards of conduct, which has been fuelled by name-calling after Teal MP Zali Steggall last week called Peter Dutton “racist”.
“I fully understand the need for robust policy debate under parliamentary privilege and the role that plays in democracy,” Ms Reynolds told the Senate.
Senator Jordon Steele-John is pictured in the Senate on Tuesday evening during his ten-minute speech
‘But I come here, more than most, with a very clear sense of the personal toll that this abuse takes, when parliamentary privilege is abused for personal attacks.’
Ms Reynolds referred to Senator Steele-John’s response to the proposed NDIS reforms, including stricter budget measures for participants to reduce the overall costs of the program.
He was furious, claiming that the reforms had not been designed in consultation with disabled Australians who are on the program, and spoke for ten minutes about how let down he felt by his own colleagues in parliament.
He said: ‘Never in the history of the Australian disability rights movement has a government so seriously betrayed the trust placed in it by the community.’
‘With the passage of this Bill, the Australian disability community will enter a period of shadow, harm, hardship and, yes, death. A kind of life we thought we had escaped will return for many of us.’
Then Labor Senator Tim Ayres stood up and said Steele-John was engaging in a “fear campaign”, causing an outcry.
Senator Tim Ayres (pictured) said Mr Steele-John’s fears over NDIS reform were a ‘scare campaign’
Mr Ayres said: ‘I say this only in response to that contribution. A fear campaign has to be based on some truth, no matter how much exaggeration…’
Mr Steele-John shouted: ‘Oh shut up, Tim! You’re disgracing this room with your nonsense! You haven’t a clue.’
Mr Ayres retracted his statement.
On Tuesday, Reynolds called Ayres’ comments a “stain on the administration.”
“What Senator Steele-John said was not a scare campaign. It was absolutely what we’re all hearing. It’s the genuine fear of people with disabilities across this country.”
“Senator Steele-John, I want to apologize for what was just said to you.
“If you, … had any decency, you would stand up now and apologize to our colleague, who has just made the most sincere speech he will ever make.”
Linda Reynolds is suing Brittany Higgins, left, for defamation over social media posts
On Wednesday, she expanded on those comments: “I think last night was an opportunity to reflect on our shared humanity and our shared compassion.
‘The words used during this debate were deeply hurtful to Senator Steele-John because this is not just a bill that we have passed here. This is a bill that will impact the lives of 660,000 NDIS participants.’
She urged the Labor government to consider the views of disabled Australians before passing the bill. Later on Wednesday, the federal government secured support from the states and territories to review the plan.
Mrs Reynolds made her comments in relation to her own civil case, under the protection of parliamentary privilege.
