Bruce Lehrmann, a former Liberal staffer, has initiated legal action in the Federal Court. He is seeking funding for legal representation at a hearing of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. This follows police raids on his home in June of last year.

In court today, Lehrmann represented himself and disclosed that he had previously hired barrister Guy Reynolds and solicitor Zali Burrows for a hearing in October. He believed he would receive funding to cover their fees. However, no additional details were provided regarding the raids or the specifics of the upcoming hearing.

Lawyers for the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the government argued that Lehrmann has directed his claims at the wrong parties. Lehrmann responded by stating, "we've been handballed around," indicating his frustration with the process.

His application targets National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton and Special Minister of State Don Farrell. Justice Brigitte Markovic suggested that the issue of funding might be better addressed by the attorney-general. The government’s lawyers contended that the National Anti-Corruption Commissioner should not be involved in the case.

The court acknowledged the need to clarify who is responsible for deciding on funding for legal representation. Justice Markovic remarked, "The fundamental first question is … who are the proper respondents?" The parties involved have been instructed to determine how to proceed, with a directions hearing scheduled for October 15.

In addition to this case, Lehrmann is awaiting a ruling on a separate appeal in the Federal Court. This appeal challenges a previous finding by Justice Michael Lee, who determined that Lehrmann had, on the balance of probabilities, raped his former colleague Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.

Lehrmann had originally filed a defamation lawsuit against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over an interview with Higgins. In that interview, Higgins alleged she was raped at Parliament House but did not name Lehrmann. He argued that he was easily identifiable from the context. However, the court found that Network Ten and Wilkinson successfully established their truth defense, leading to Lehrmann's loss in that case.

As a result, he was ordered to pay $2 million in costs, although this payment has been postponed pending the outcome of his appeal. The defamation proceedings were delayed until after a criminal trial, which was ultimately abandoned due to juror misconduct, leaving no formal findings against Lehrmann, who continues to assert his innocence.

During the appeal against the defamation ruling, Burrows represented Lehrmann. She argued that he could not afford to pay for a barrister for the appeal. Burrows claimed that Justice Lee "made up his own case" regarding the events at Parliament House, asserting that the defamation trial had turned into a "quasi-rape trial." The appeal court judges questioned her assertions, indicating that the findings were within the scope of what had been described. The timeline for a ruling on the appeal remains uncertain.