Brittany Higgins’ new future: Ex-staffer’s close friendship with controversial CEO revealed

Brittany Higgins is being closely supported by former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate – with strong speculation the prominent businesswoman is set to employ her in a new role with her team.

The women bonded over their torrid experiences within Scott Morrison‘s government, with a source close to the 26-year-old Liberal staffer revealing they’ve not just ‘built a friendship’.  

The source said Ms Higgins was likely to embark on her first post-politics job at logistics company Team Global Express, formerly Toll Global Express, where Ms Holgate is now CEO.

Brittany Higgins is pictured at the at the Marie Claire International Women’s Day Breakfast – at the back in red, standing to the left of Christine Holgate, in light pink. Actor Miranda Tapsall is on the far left, next to Lisa Wilkinson. Psychosexologist Chantelle Otten and her partner Dylan Alcott in the front

Toll Global Express, which has more than 8,000 employees is now one of Astralia Post’s biggest competitors in parcel delivery. Services include express parcel, freight delivery and domestic forwarding services in Australia and New Zealand.

Holgate is also on the board of the Collingwood Football Club.

However, a spokesperson for Ms Higgins has insisted the pair are just friends, rather than prospective colleagues. 

‘She’s literally just come out of hospital,’ the spokeswoman said. 

The pair were invited to speak about gendered discrimination at a Marie Clare International Women’s Day Breakfast at Sydney’s Establishment Bar in March.

The rumours of Ms Higgins’ potential new career comes just days after she shared a photo on her Instagram page of the moment she graduated from Griffith University on the Gold Coast.

On December 13, she also settled her $3 million claim against the Commonwealth following the termination of the trial against her accused rapist, receiving a confidential payment.

Brittany Higgins (pictured) celebrated her university graduation days after being awarded a multi-million dollar compensation payout

Ms Higgins had alleged Bruce Lehrman raped her inside the office of then-defence minister Linda Reynolds in Parliament House after a night out in Canberra in March 2019.

Mr Lehrmann had pleaded not guilty and continues to deny any wrongdoing. 

Her accused attacker was charged in 2021 with one count of sexual intercourse without consent during a four-week trial in the ACT Supreme Court in October, but the hearing was spectacularly aborted due to jury misconduct.

The ACT’s public prosecutor then said he would drop the case against Mr Lehrmann amid concerns about Ms Higgins’ mental health.

During the trial, Ms Higgins claimed she was mistreated by the Morrison government – including by her former bosses, Ms Reynolds and senator Michaelia Cash.

The former staffer told the court she felt pressured to drop the complaint against Mr Lehrmann, or she risked losing her job. Ms Reynolds told the court that was not the case.

Brittany Higgin is seen arriving at the ACT Supreme Court in October – just hours before the case against her alleged attacker was aborted

At the International Women’s Day Breakfast, Ms Higgins said sexual harassment was talked about within Parliament House as though it was ‘gossip and it was tolerated, when it was a crime’.

‘It was a crime,’ she said.  

Ms Holgate took the job at Toll after being ousted from her position as CEO of Australia Post  following uproar about her gifting four luxury Cartier watches worth $20,000 to executives as a reward for securing a $66million deal with three big banks.

On hearing about the reward last year, prime minister Scott Morrison told Parliament the gifts were disgraceful and said: ‘She’s been instructed to stand aside and if she doesn’t do that, she can go.’ 

A subsequent later investigation found no indication of dishonesty, fraud, corruption or intentional misuse of Australia Post funds relating to the watches, and Ms Holgate was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ms Holgate, who resigned in November last year, said she was treated ‘like a criminal’, ‘abandoned to a media firestorm’ and wrongfully ousted against her will, leaving her suicidal and needing insomnia medication.

Christine Holgate was ousted from her position as CEO of Australia Post following a scandal over four luxury Cartier watches worth $20,000

A report into her departure by the Senate’s Environment and Communications References Committee said the prime minister should apologise, but he never did.

Ms Holgate was paid $1million because she was effectively forced from her job during the investigation, and told the audience at the International Women’s Day breakfast it caused her ‘immense personal trauma’.

Quoting the report into the way she was treated during the investigation, Ms Holgate said: ‘She was treated appallingly but we don’t owe her an apology. She was an outstanding CEO and we gave her $1million.’

‘But they don’t even know how to apologise.’