’Lying cow’ a costly slip
EMBATTLED Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has agreed a settlement with Brittany Higgins and apologised for calling the alleged rape victim a “lying cow”.
In a public statement on Friday, Senator Reynolds claimed the comments were not “meant in the sense it may have been understood”, but did not elaborate on how they were intended.
Ms Higgins has confirmed money agreed as part of the settlement, over and above covering her legal costs, would be donated to a Canberra-based organisation that helps victims of sexual assault.
She alleged she was raped by a colleague in Senator Reynolds’ parliamentary office in 2019, when she worked for the then-defence industry minister.
It was revealed last week Senator Reynolds had described Ms Higgins as a “lying cow” in front of staff.
She retracted the statement on Friday, reiterating a public apology she issued a week ago over the slur.
“I wish to further address the comment that I made. I did not mean it in the sense it may have been understood,” her statement read.
“Given that the comment was made public, which I never intended. I also want to retract it and unreservedly apologise to Brittany Higgins and acknowledge the distress it may have caused to her.”
Ms Higgins said she welcomed the retraction and accepted Ms Reynolds’ apology.
“This has been an immensely challenging period for me and I wish to reiterate the only reason I have chosen to come forward is to help others,” she said in statement.
Ms Reynolds has previously insisted the comments were not designed to question the rape allegation, but made out of frustration over Ms Higgins claims she did not receive adequate support in the aftermath.
The Defence Minister extended her leave on medical grounds after the comments were made public.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected calls to sack Ms Reynolds saying while he “did not find (the comments) acceptable” they were not made in a public place.
MOTHER-of-five Tegan Hartley says being locked in a storeroom for talking too much and being called “thick” by a teacher are incidents from her school years she’ll never forget.
“A teacher asked me a question that I didn’t understand and when I said so, he asked me if I was thick and the whole class laughed at me,” she said.
“As a kid that literally scarred me and I’d hate something like that to happen to one of my kids.”
Mrs Hartley, of Pimpama, is one of a growing number of Gold Coast parents choosing to pull their children from traditional classroom settings and teach them herself. With a 10-yearold who has autism, twin girls aged seven, a five-yearold and three-year-old, she has her hands full, but says she wouldn’t have it any other way.
She took her eldest out of school in 2018 when he was hit in the face by three of his peers.
She taught Jayden to read using Dr Seuss books and now he reads and writes fluently. Her twin daughters will learn to read once they are eight, until then they are learning through play.
“The only reason the Australian system teaches them to read so early is because they can’t effectively teach a classroom of 26 kids until they can all read,” she said.
The 27-year-old said contrary to what society believed, her children were well socialised and did not just sit at home all day being taught at the dinner table.
“The stigma that kids learn in the house bugs me because we do 90 per cent of our learning outside in parks, at creeks, the beach.
She said homeschooling also meant her children weren’t made to feel worthless if they didn’t have the latest iPhone or a PlayStation console.
“I’m hoping they’ll have less mental health issues and higher self-esteem because they aren’t exposed to kids who are asking them ‘are you rich, are you poor’.
“I don’t want school crushing them.”