Text messages between Network Seven producers have revealed how the team tasked with signing Bruce Lehrmann to an exclusive media deal felt about his criminal trial and Brittany Higgins.
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The hundreds of text messages between former Spotlight colleagues Taylor Auerbach and Steve Jackson were uploaded to the Federal Court website on Friday afternoon.
Mr Auerbach recounts "getting on the piss" with Mr Lehrmann and essentially securing the interviews while the criminal trial was still ongoing and jurors were deliberating.
Mr Auerbach this week became a surprise witness in the reopened defamation suit brought forward by Mr Lehrmann against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.
He hurled multiple allegations relating to sex workers, illicit drugs, covered up expenses, and breached court undertakings. He denied coming forward out of resentment to his former employer.
'Blatantly lying'
The newly published messages reveal Mr Auerbach attended Mr Lehrmann's aborted ACT criminal trial in late 2022.
"She is just blatantly lying," he wrote about Ms Higgins' evidence.
Mr Auerbach provided Mr Jackson, whom he admitted to now hating, with a running commentary of proceedings. He made his feelings clear about Ms Higgins as a sexual assault complainant.
"She has a weird way of speaking trying to sound smart and professional but it just comes across as a pose," Mr Auerbach wrote in one message in October 2022, when the trial began.
In another, he said: "Sadly it's fathomable that she completely blew up someone's life so she wouldn't get sacked for getting hammered and breaking into parliament."
The pair made comments about how a rape complainant should act.
And, referring to an email from Mr Lehrmann to his boss, Mr Auerbach wrote: "Doesn't sound like a letter someone who'd raped someone would send."
'She's very combative'
In some text messages, Mr Auerbach relayed commentary on Ms Higgins' testimony, and on more than one occasion referred to her as a liar.
"She's very combative," he wrote
"She keeps yelling and swearing."
In one message, Mr Jackson responded: "Getting worked up is like seeing red while boxing. You start making stupid claims and arguments."
Mr Auerbach: "She's changing all her evidence."
Mr Jackson: "She's been briefed. Contaminated."
Later that day, Mr Auerbach would text: "There's not one aspect of the timeline she hasn't lied about."
'I've got the yarn'
"I've got the yarn. I've just been on the piss with Bruce Lehrmann," Mr Auerbach wrote on October 23, 2022, while jurors in the criminal trial were still retired and deliberating on a verdict.
He claimed Mr Lehrmann was appreciative of how Seven had covered the criminal trial.
Mr Lehrmann reportedly told the Spotlight producer he had been approached "from every direction" for an interview, including by Nine and a "print journo" who offered him integrity over money.
"Don't worry, they weren't impressed by this," Mr Auerbach texted.
The then-producer also said Mr Lehrmann was not looking "to make a buck off this" but then noted the man was "up to his eyeballs in debt".
"Having met him, he is a really down to earth and likeable fellow going through absolute hell," he said.
'We're in luck'
Earlier, on October 11, Mr Auerbach told his colleague "we're in luck" because John McGowan was doing Mr Lehrmann's media.
"I've told him to pick the most expensive restaurant in Canberra and it's my shout," Mr Auerbach wrote.
The civil proceedings previously heard about a meeting between Mr Auerbach and Mr McGowan where a figure of "vaguely $200,000" as payment was floated.
The Seven colleagues then discussed other possible complainants coming forward with accusations against Mr Lehrmann.
"Yikes," Mr Jackson wrote regarding an article that cited five other women.
Mr Auerbach responded: "Surely they can't bring that into evidence. She accuses the bloke of rape and become a national heroine and then 5 other chicks come forward."
'I feel sorry for her'
On another occasion, Mr Auerbach described feeling sorry for Ms Higgins.
"She's massively out of her depth and doesn't really know what she doing or saying but revved on by people with their own interests at heart," he texted.
"She is not equipped in any way to be acting in the character that's been created for her."
The next day, he would describe Ms Higgins' mother as a "20/10 glamour".
"Yeah like a model or something - looks like Angelina Jolie ... I think she's some rich person who spend a lot of her time overseas."
The defamation trial
Justice Michael Lee has reserved his judgment in Mr Lehrmann's defamation trial.
Mr Lehrmann has always denied raping Ms Higgins in the ministerial office of Senator Linda Reynolds in the early hours of March 23, 2019.
His criminal trial was aborted due to juror misconduct and the charge of sexual intercourse without consent levelled at him later dropped over concerns for Ms Higgins' mental health.
No findings have been made against him.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Canberra Rape Crisis Centre 6247 2525.
Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
