Brittany Higgins has revealed she is returning to the workforce and joining the same company her husband is employed at.
Ms Higgins is now the director of public affairs at the independent public relations agency Third Hemisphere, the Australian Financial Review reported.
Her appointment comes just months after her husband David Sharaz announced in March he had taken on the role of director at the independent PR agency.
The pair are working from home full-time as they navigate early parenthood after welcoming their three-month-old son Freddie into the world on March 2.
The role is a natural fit for Ms Higgins who worked as the Liberal Party media adviser before she was thrust into the limelight after stressful rape and defamation trials.
Following the trials, Ms Higgins became an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual assault.
Ms Higgins explained her decision to join Third Hemisphere was cemented after fostering a connection with the firm’s founder and CEO Hannah Moreno.
The pair shared a connection as Ms Moreno was also a rape and domestic violence survivor who campaigns for gender equality and fights against sexual harassment.
Brittany Higgins has revealed she is returning to the workforce and joining the same company her husband is employed at
Ms Higgins shared the news of her appointment on Instagram with the caption: ‘Your girl is finally back in the workforce!’
‘There was this general feeling of ‘how long do I have to be the story for?’ At what point do I get to put it to rest… and have my own identity outside this narrative of Brittany Higgins,’ Ms Higgins said.
‘I also have a brand reputation and I don’t want to align myself in a corporate sense with someone that could be doing something untoward.
‘I had to join a team that I fundamentally believe in and which believes in the same things that I do.’
Ms Higgins said the role would be her first steps in following the direction of people she aspires to be like including governor-general of Australia Samantha Mostyn, Indigenous Australian social activist and business executive Tanya Hosch and business executive Christine Holgate.
In her role, Ms Higgins will work with clients on reputation management and strategic advocacy.
She will also handle stakeholder engagement, media relations and public affairs initiatives which target public dialogue and push for change.
Ms Higgins also shared the news of her appointment to Instagram on Wednesday with the caption: ‘Your girl is finally back in the workforce!’.
In August 2021, Bruce Lehrmann was identified as the Liberal Party staffer accused of raping Ms Higgins inside Parliament House in 2019.
Ms Higgins explained her decision to join Third Hemisphere was cemented after fostering a connection with the firm’s founder and CEO Hannah Moreno
Her appointment comes just months after her husband David Sharaz announced in March he had taken on the role of director at the independent PR agency
Ms Higgins had shared her alleged sexual assault with Channel 10 journalist Lisa Wilkinson in an interview aired on The Project.
Lehrmann has always denied the allegations.
Lehrmann faced the ACT Supreme Court in late 2022 but the case was dropped after a juror brought outside research into the deliberation room.
A second trial was also aborted, citing concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health.
In 2023, Lehrmann launched legal proceedings against Wilkinson and Channel 10, claiming he’d been defamed by The Project episode.
The ruling in that lawsuit left Lehrmann in ruin with Justice Michael Lee finding that, on the balance of probabilities, he raped Ms Higgins.
He has appealed the ruling with the case to go before the Federal Court of Australia in August.
After quitting her role as Liberal Party media adviser, Ms Higgins worked on short-term contracts at the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the Queensland Human Rights Commission.
She also signed a book deal with Penguin Random House in 2021 for a tell-all memoir about her time in Parliament and the moment Lehrmann allegedly raped her.
The final 90,000-word autobiography was meant to hit shelves in 2022, but publishers placed it on indefinite hold due to legal issues – namely, because the trial against Mr Lehrmann fell over and he was never convicted.
