Supporting witnesses to be called in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation action now that Brittany Higgins's cross-examination is complete

After more than four days in the witness box, Brittany Higgins has concluded her evidence to the Federal Court, in a defamation trial brought by Bruce Lehrmann over an interview with Ms Higgins on The Project.

Mr Lehrmann is suing Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson, and argues the interview, which aired in February 2021, defamed him, even though he was not named.

During the broadcast, Ms Higgins alleged a senior colleague had raped her in the Parliament House office of senator Linda Reynolds, after a night out drinking at two venues in Canberra in March 2019.

As part of Network Ten's defence, the media organisation is seeking to prove that its reporting was true.

Mr Lehrmann's criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court last year was aborted due to juror misconduct.

There remain no findings against him and he has maintained his innocence throughout.

Over three days of cross-examination, Ms Higgins was challenged on various issues in her account of the alleged assault.

This included her level of intoxication on the night, which Mr Lehrmann's barrister Steven Whybrow suggested was substantially less than Ms Higgins had claimed.

Ms Higgins also maintained her allegation despite repeated suggestions from Mr Whybrow that the alleged rape never occurred.

Another issue that was canvassed repeatedly was Ms Higgins's dress, including whether she was wearing it when she woke up the morning after the alleged rape.

Ms Higgins accepted the evidence of a security guard who says she found her naked in the office, despite her initial belief that the dress was around her waist.

She later told the court she tried to "reclaim" what was her favourite dress, by wearing it once more at a Liberal Party function in the months after her alleged assault.

Now that Ms Higgins's cross-examination is complete, and the court has already heard Mr Lehrmann's evidence, the trial is expected to hear from more than 20 supporting witnesses.

The court is today expected to hear from Lauren Gain and Austin Wenke, two of the people who were at the same venues as Ms Higgins and Mr Lehrmann on the night in question.

They had started as part of a larger group at Canberra pub The Dock, before the four of them moved on to the CBD nightclub 88mph.

Ms Higgins's housemate at the time of the alleged assault is also expected to give evidence, along with two former colleagues from Senator Reynolds's office, Nikki Hamer and Jesse Wotton.

The court heard last week that Lisa Wilkinson is expected to be called as a witness, but this may not occur until the latter stages of the trial.