Inside the dinner where Brittany Higgins told her mum the worst news imaginable: Instagram photo shows her beaming as she feasts on zucchini fries at a Greek restaurant and gushes: 'Such a great night'

Brittany Higgins was dining at a poolside Greek restaurant when she decided to tell her mum, and her mum's ex-boyfriend, that she was allegedly raped in Parliament House.

Kelly Higgins, the former staffer's mother, told the Federal Court on Monday that her daughter disclosed her alleged sexual assault during a dinner at Hellenika at The Calile, in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, on November 26, 2019.

'The three of us were sitting at a dinner table in an open restaurant and Brittany at that point made the decision to share the details of what had actually taken place,' she said in her evidence - describing the situation as 'a mother's worst nightmare'.

She fired up when Bruce Lehrmann's barrister Steven Whybrow SC suggested the rape disclosure that night never happened, telling the court she remembered the date because there were social media photos.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal those photos are still on Ms Higgins' public Instagram account and show the former staffer smiling with Kelly and her ex-partner, along with a picture of mother and daughter standing by the pool.

Ms Higgins captioned the post: 'Truly there is nothing better than zucchini fries, warm Queensland nights and poolside dining! In the great company with Kelly Higgins, eating our way into a food coma at Hellenika.'

Ms Higgins commented on her own post, described the evening as 'such a great night!' - despite disclosing her alleged rape to her mother earlier that same evening.

In court on Monday, Kelly relayed the distressing conversation for the court.

She described the moment Ms Higgins told her she was inside Linda Reynolds' ministerial suite in the early hours of March 23, 2019 - just nine months before the poolside dinner.

'She was extremely intoxicated and felt unwell. The next thing she remembered she was on the lounge, and she believes she passed out,' she told the court.   

'She was awoken with pressure and pain on her leg to identify that when she was coherent, Bruce Lehrmann was on top of her raping her.'

'She was telling him no, to stop … That he looked at her blankly and stared, and was ignoring her. He continued to rape her and ignored her. He finished doing that to her. And then he left.'

Kelly told the court she wanted to know more and probed Ms Higgins for information - she wanted to know 'why nobody helped her, why nobody called an ambulance'.

She said in her evidence her daughter was emotional during that conversation, but that she appeared relieved after sharing it.

During cross-examination, Mr Whybrow suggested the conversation never happened.

Mr Whybrow said: 'I want to suggest to you that the conversation you've relayed to his honour that you say occurred on the 21st of November with [your partner] did not occur.'

Kelly replied: 'That's incorrect.'

Mr Whybrow said: 'Your daughter did not relay to you and [your partner] all of the things that you set out in evidence. 

'You'd agree that what you've given evidence of is very consistent with what went to air on The Project.'

Kelly said: 'It's what actually occurred.'

Ms Higgins' parents and her father's partner gave evidence on Monday, during the third week of Mr Lehrmann's defamation hearing.

Mr Lehrmann is suing Wilkinson and Ten over an interview with Ms Higgins on The Project on February 15, 2021, during which she first aired her rape allegations against him.

He was not named in that broadcast, but he claims he was identified by friends, colleagues and family members as the man who allegedly raped Ms Higgins in Parliament House on March 23, 2019.

Mr Lehrmann has continually denied having any sexual contact with Ms Higgins, consensually or otherwise.

The hearing will resume on Tuesday morning.