The Higgins affair is the most disgraceful con job ever perpetrated with the connivance of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. A huge payout because she 'could never work again' because of something that might or might not have happened; but since that absurd claim, she has worked three jobs, albeit in an unpaid capacity, so it is said.

Yates should go the way of Drumgold.

Three cheers for Bettina Arndt.

The successful planting of the rainbow flag on hill 51.

More claptrap BS from the pernicious pen of this disgraceful author.

It's not justice she seeks but, notoriety?

Up to her, the crime of rape would be stripped from the rule of law!
Alan B.

Thank you Bettina Arndt. An excellent summary of this tawdry and extraordinary con job - one for the history books. It is extraordinary troubling for me that the Albo government was complaisant in this affair seeking to stir the political pot. Furthermore, I want an enquiry into the Government's interference and recovery of the $millions paid to Ms Higgins.

I agree with the title "Feminist capture of justice system". Kudos.

The Sofronoff Report has not yet been officially released, but it has leaked to The Australian newspaper which gives it extensive coverage today.

It is utterly damning of ACT DPP Shane Drumgold, who is found to have “knowingly lied” to the Chief Justice. I expect Drumgold will never work as a lawyer again, and I hope his next court appearance is as defendant in a case of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

But it also resoundingly refutes the crackpot conspiracy theories peddled by Arndt. While the police made mistakes, in general they conducted their investigation fairly and professionally. Drumgold made many, many errors, but the decision to prosecute the case was not one of them.

And most particularly, it exonerates Heidi Yates of any wrongdoing.

Sofronoff says she was subject to “unjustified public criticism” by people suffering “a general lack of understanding of what the law required her to do.” It was “no fault of her own” that she was present when Higgins gave a speech after the jury was discharged; it was not a comment on Lehrmann’s guilt or innocence, and her focus on the wellbeing of her client was “consistent with her statutory duty as well as with human decency”.

In this article, Arndt describes Commissioner Walter Sofronoff as “very impressive”. If Arndt had any integrity and decency, her next article on this subject will admit that the “very impressive” Commissioner has rejected most of her arguments, and also offer a fulsome apology for her spiteful and ill-informed attack on Heidi Yates.

But if past performance is any guide, she will instead try to spin the report into an endorsement of her anti-feminist conspiracy theories, and ignore Sofronoff’s comments on Yates’ critics