Peta Credlin Launches SCATHING Attack on Labor’s Two Senators, Wong and Gallagher — Branded “Mean Girls Who Divide the Nation” — for Weaponizing Lies About the Alleged Rape Cover-Up in Linda Reynolds’ Parliamentary Office, Yet Refusing to Apologize Even After Judges Ruled Their Accusations Baseless.
Credlin Immediately Issues a Powerful Statement Defending Linda Reynolds!!
Canberra, Australia – December 14, 2025 – In a blistering opinion piece and on-air commentary that has reignited one of Australia’s most divisive political scandals, Sky News host and former chief of staff to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Peta Credlin, has unleashed a ferocious critique of two of Labor’s most senior figures: Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
Branding them as the “mean girls” of Australian politics – a term originally linked to internal Labor bullying allegations – Credlin accuses the pair of deliberately “weaponizing lies” about a supposed cover-up of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation in Parliament House, all to score political points against the former Morrison government.
Credlin’s attack comes amid fresh legal developments in the long-running saga stemming from Higgins’ 2021 public allegation that she was raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann in then-Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds’ office in 2019.
While a 2024 Federal Court defamation ruling by Justice Michael Lee found, on the balance of probabilities, that Lehrmann did rape Higgins, multiple judgments have explicitly cleared Reynolds and her staff of any political cover-up.
Yet, Credlin argues, Wong and Gallagher – then in opposition – relentlessly pursued claims of a Morrison government conspiracy to silence Higgins for electoral gain, refusing to retract or apologize even now.
“Their accusations were baseless from the start, amplified under parliamentary privilege to destroy reputations,” Credlin thundered in her commentary. “These so-called ‘mean girls’ weaponized a young woman’s trauma to take down a government, and now, with judges vindicating Linda Reynolds, they hide behind silence.
It’s hypocrisy on steroids – they demand accountability from others but offer none themselves.”
The origins of the scandal trace back to March 2019, when Higgins, a junior Liberal staffer, alleged she was assaulted by Lehrmann after a night out. Lehrmann has always denied the allegation.
The matter remained private until Higgins went public in February 2021, sparking national outrage and contributing to the downfall of Scott Morrison’s Coalition government in 2022.
In opposition, Labor senators, led by Wong and Gallagher, grilled Reynolds in Senate estimates, accusing her office of mishandling the complaint and prioritizing politics over the victim’s welfare.
Wong famously declared in 2021: “We know that, at best, Mr Morrison runs a government where the culture is ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ when it comes to serious criminal allegations.
At worst, Mr Morrison himself is part of the cover-up.” Gallagher echoed this, suggesting Reynolds had treated the incident as a “political problem to fix,” forcing Higgins to choose between justice and her job.
Credlin contrasts this aggressive pursuit with recent court outcomes. In the high-profile Lehrmann v Network Ten defamation case, Justice Lee ruled the rape occurred but found no evidence of a political cover-up by Reynolds or the Morrison government.
More damningly for Labor’s narrative, in 2025, Western Australia Supreme Court Justice Paul Tottle ruled in Reynolds’ defamation action against Higgins that claims of a cover-up were “untrue” and “sensational,” awarding Reynolds substantial damages. Higgins was later declared bankrupt, partly due to legal costs.
“Judges have now repeatedly found no basis for these vicious claims,” Credlin writes. “Reynolds and her chief of staff Fiona Brown were exonerated – they handled it appropriately, supporting Higgins while respecting her wishes. But Wong and Gallagher? Not a word of apology.
They’re the real dividers, turning a tragedy into a weapon.”
Credlin draws parallels to past Labor hypocrisy, noting how Anthony Albanese, as opposition leader, hammered Liberal speaker Bronwyn Bishop over a minor expenses scandal in 2015, forcing her resignation. “Labor demanded scalps then,” she says.
“Now, when their own senior ministers peddle proven falsehoods that devastated Reynolds’ health and career, it’s crickets.”
The “mean girls” moniker, first applied to Wong, Gallagher, and former senator Kristina Keneally over alleged internal bullying of the late Kimberley Kitching, has been revived by conservatives to highlight what they see as ruthless tactics. Credlin defends Reynolds vehemently: “Linda was fed to the lions.
She deserves justice, not silence from those who smeared her.”
en.wikipedia.orgParliament House, Canberra – Wikipedia
Reactions have been sharply divided.
Conservative commentators and Coalition figures praise Credlin for “calling out the double standards.” Senator Anne Ruston has pressed Wong and Gallagher in estimates hearings, only to be met with deflections: Wong referring to “previous answers” and Gallagher stating she has “nothing further to say.” Prime Minister Albanese has dismissed calls for apologies, rejecting the “characterization” of weaponization.
From the left, defenders argue Wong and Gallagher were fulfilling opposition duties, seeking transparency in a workplace culture scandal exposed by the Jenkins Review. They maintain questions were legitimate under parliamentary privilege and that the confirmed rape justified scrutiny of the government’s initial response.
“We acted in good faith to hold power to account,” a Labor source said anonymously.
Yet Credlin’s piece highlights lingering damage: Reynolds, now retired, has spoken of the toll on her health, describing the accusations as “lies that destroyed everything.” She’s pursuing further compensation claims against the Commonwealth over Higgins’ $2.4 million settlement, alleging exclusion from the process.
Political analysts see Credlin’s intervention as timely ammunition for the opposition ahead of potential future elections. “This saga haunts Labor,” says one. “Credlin’s framing it as moral failure – refusing apology after courts debunked the core claim.”
In her closing salvo, Credlin issues a direct challenge: “To Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher: If you have any decency, apologize to Linda Reynolds now. Australia is watching, and your silence speaks volumes. Defend her, or admit you were wrong.”
As the nation reflects on a case that exposed deep flaws in parliamentary culture, Credlin’s powerful defense of Reynolds ensures the debate rages on, forcing questions about accountability, privilege, and the brutal cost of political warfare in Canberra.
