Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial LIVE BLOG: Brittany Higgins' parting message to Australia as she jets out for France with David Sharaz after $2.4m taxpayer payout

Fiona Brown was 'blindsided' by Brittany Higgins' allegation, before she asked: 'Did something happen that you did not want to happen?'

Fiona Brown had a meeting with Brittany Higgins on March 28, 2019 - five days after the alleged rape.

In court on Monday, Ms Brown recalled Ms Higgins was about to leave her office after a disciplinary meeting, before she turned and said 'I remember him on top of me'.

On Tuesday morning, Ms Brown said she was 'blindsided' by that comment.

'It took me by surprise, it came out of the blue, there was no hint,' she said.

Ms Brown told the court she was given instructions on how to conduct the conversation by the Department of Finance - which acted as a pseudo-human resources department.

She was told not to use accusatory or assumptive language, so she told the court that she said: 'Did something happen that you did not want to happen?'

However, Lisa Wilkinson's barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC suggested to Ms Brown that she actually said what was in her affidavit: 'If this is something you had not wanted, then you should report it to the police.'

Ms Chrysanthou asked Ms Brown why she put different information in her affidavit to what she told the court.

Ms Brown said she gave information to the best of her recollection, 'due to the mental trauma' she sustained in the aftermath of Ms Higgins' allegations.

Ms Brown also took notes after most conversations at around that period.

Ms Chrysanthou asked why she didn't note that the Department of Finance had told her to say to Ms Higgins, ''Did something happen that you did not want to happen?'

'As I said, they were not verbatim and I did my best ... I did my professional best.

She reiterated that she asked Ms Higgins if anything happened.

'At that time in March 2019, it was a very different period,' she said, noting that the situation would be dealt with very differently if it happened today.

Key witness Fiona Brown's cross-examination will continue on Tuesday morning, followed by Network Ten's expert lip-reader Tim Reedy.

The court's livestream will be cut while Ms Brown takes to the witness box and will resume at midday. Her evidence will be recorded and streamed online at 10.15am on Wednesday.

Ms Brown was Linda Reynolds' chief of staff in March 2019, when Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann were working as advisors.

Her cross-examination by Lisa Wilkinson's barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC began on Monday evening and ran until after 7.30pm.

Ms Higgins has long-maintained she told Ms Brown about her alleged rape on March 26, 2019 - three days after the alleged assault.

However, Ms Brown firmly denied that yesterday in the Federal Court.

Ms Chrysanthou asked Ms Brown if Ms Higgins' demeanor changed after the alleged rape.

Ms Brown told the court Ms Higgins' demeanor only changed when she walked into her office and saw the ministerial code of conduct on her desk, along with the employees assistance handbook.

'She saw the papers on my desk and I could see her eyes shifting,' Ms Brown said.

'She was thinking quickly on her feet.'

Ms Brown said she specifically recalled that detail.

When asked why she didn't write it in her notes, Ms Brown said 'I regret it, actually'.

Brittany Higgins and her fiance David Sharaz said au revoir to Australia as they start a new life in France.

The couple were pictured bidding farewell to Ms Higgins' parents, Kelly and Matthew, at Brisbane International Airport on Monday ahead of their 11.35pm flight to France, via Singapore.

But just eight hours into the trip, Ms Higgins appeared to be missing home.

She uploaded photos of Sydney, the Snowy Mountains, Byron Bay, and the Gold Coast to Instagram and captioned it with lyrics from the iconic Qantas jingle, I Still Call Australia Home.

'No matter how far or how wide I roam, I will still call Australia home,' she wrote.

Friends and fans took to the comments section to wish her bon voyage.

'Take care, Brittany. Wishing you peace & happiness,' one person said.

Another wrote: 'Best wishes for a happy life in France. You certainly deserve it.'

Ms Higgins received about $2.4million from the taxpayer in 2022 based on claims her political career was in ruins after she alleged she was raped by former colleague Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House in 2019.

Mr Lehrmann has continually denied the allegations and is currently suing Channel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson for defamation after The Project broke the story.

Daily Mail Australia last month revealed the couple, who were renting a newly built duplex in Palm Beach on the Gold Coast, were preparing to uproot their lives for the sprawling countryside in Lunas, near Bordeaux in southern France.

Mr Sharaz gave it away when he posted in a public Facebook group for English-speaking residents hoping to connect with Francophones in the Dordogne region.

'Hello, I'm looking for someone to do some gardening for us over the next couple of months. Perhaps once or twice a fortnight. We're in Lunas,' he wrote.

Those posts have since been deleted.

Since then, Ms Higgins has followed a range of French Instagram pages - including language schools and Parisian-inspired fashion accounts.

Bruce Lehrmann is suing Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10 in the Federal Court over her 2021 interview with Brittany Higgins where she alleged he raped her in Parliament House in 2019.

He was not named, but claims friends and former colleagues were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.

He has continually maintained his innocence.

The court's livestream was turned off while Linda Reynolds' former chief of staff, Fiona Brown, gave evidence on Monday evening.

Ms Brown's evidence will continue at 10.15am on Tuesday. The livestream will not resume until midday today.