Bruce Lehrmann breaks his silence with shock comment as he faces Queensland court for his second rape trial

Bruce Lehrmann arrived in court on Monday morning to a waiting media pack, and wearing a Burberry tie.

Flanked by his lawyer Rowan King, he ploughed through the cameras and quipped: 'Where is Peter Costello when you need him?'

Lehrmann was referring to an incident earlier in June when the former federal treasurer and Nine chairman was filmed knocking over a journalist at Canberra Airport.

The alleged victim will give evidence from another courtroom, via an audio-visual link.

Lehrmann's barrister Andrew Hoare KC said the particulars of the case had been altered and matter may need to run into a second day.

'There has been an application for special measures ... the complainant will give evidence in a remote room and it's entirely usual for someone in her position to give evidence in that way,' he told the court.

The court then heard from Jess Goldie, a lawyer from Thomson Geer, who represented the ABC, Network Ten, News Corp, and Nine Network.

Ms Goldie made submissions to the court to request that media be able to listen to the alleged victim's evidence, rather than conducting her cross-examination in a closed court.

She said the case was a 'high public interest matter' and reminded the court that her identity would not be published, as per Queensland laws.

Ms Goldie also said allowing the media to watch her evidence means the matter would be reported accurately.

Lehrmann's barrister Andrew Hoare KC opposed the media application, telling the court that the scope of the cross-examination would mean the alleged victim would be identified.

However, Ms Goldie said the media would not report any identifying features of the complainant, even if they were covered in open court.

The complainant also opposed the media application.

There was a brief adjournment after the submissions were made.

Bruce Lehrmann walked into courtroom two on Monday morning, which was packed beyond capacity with journalists - some of whom were standing.

'It's not exactly the Federal Court, is it?' he joked, referring to his defamation case which was heard in the Federal Court in Sydney.

'Might as well upgrade it to the Supreme Court now.'

His lawyer Rowan King remarked: 'The Supreme Court wouldn't touch this.'

The matter was adjourned for five minutes while the defence reviewed an application.

Bruce Lehrmann touched down at Brisbane on Sunday afternoon ahead of his rape case on Monday.

It was for the first time he was pictured in public since his crushing defamation defeat in April, when a Federal Court judge found on a civil scale that he had raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019.

Upon arriving at Brisbane Airport with a small wheelie suitcase, and sporting RM Williams hat and boots, he was greeted by his lawyer Rowan King.

Bruce Lehrmann will appear in Toowoomba Magistrate's court at 9am on Monday over allegations that he raped a woman, 29, in October 2021.

He met the woman at a local strip club called 'The Vault', before the pair went back to his friend's house.

She alleges they were fully clothed in bed, they kissed and she told him to put a condom on. She then alleges that she woke up to find him having sex with her.

The woman also alleges that she woke up the following morning to find him having sex with her again, and told him to stop. She alleges she felt groggy when they had sex a third time.

He allegedly wasn't wearing a condom and they went to a pharmacy to buy the morning-after pill, and the went to McDonald's on the way home.

Lehrmann was charged with two counts of rape in January 2023.

The alleged victim will be cross-examined during the committal hearing on Monday, which was set to determine whether there is enough evidence to commit the matter to trial.

If it is committed and Lehrmann pleads not guilty, the case will go to trial.

Monday will mark the first time Lehrmann appears in court for this matter.

After he was charged, Lehrmann was known only as a 'high profile man' in media reports about the allegations.

However, his identity was revealed after Queensland legislation was modified to allow people accused of sexual offences to be identified before being committed to stand trial.

After the law changed, the former political staffer lost his subsequent bid to seek a non-publication order to continue to protect his identity.

Two months before he met the Toowoomba woman in 2021, had been charged with sexually assaulting his former colleague Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in Canberra in 2019.