Former Morrison government minister Linda Reynolds has confirmed Brittany Higgins’s lawyers have launched legal action against her “and others”.

The ABC reports that former staffer Ms Higgins is taking civil action in relation to her alleged rape at Parliament House in 2019.

Senator Reynolds was Ms Higgins’ boss at the time.

Bruce Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence, denying there was any sexual contact between the pair.

Ms Reynolds told the ABC on Monday morning that a civil claim had been launched “against her and other parties”.

It comes after Ms Higgins spoke out about the legal system’s impact on people who come forward with sexual assault allegations.

The prosecution dropped the case against Mr Lehrmann last week due to concerns about Ms Higgins’ mental wellbeing.

The initial trial was aborted due to juror misconduct.

In her first public comments since the prosecution was dropped, Ms Higgins said she never understood how asymmetrical the criminal justice system was until she spoke up.

She said she had felt like the person on trial after having her private life, messages and data publicly exposed and scrutinised.

“This is the reality of how complainants in sexual assault cases are treated,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday morning.

“Their lives are torn apart, their families and friends called to the witness stand and the accused has the legal right to say absolutely nothing.”

Ms Higgins said the criminal justice system failed to deliver outcomes for victims of sexual assault, citing that in the ACT during 2020, only 16 per cent of sexual offences reported to police resulted in a charge.

Only half of those resulted in a conviction.

“That is to our national shame,” she said.

“I want to thank the other women who came forward and shared their own experiences.

“I believe you. You were with me every day I walked into that court room and faced him.”

-AAP