Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has retracted her statement from two years ago that she had no prior knowledge about the details surrounding Brittany Higgins’ rape accusation. Gallagher has confirmed that she became aware of some of the allegations shortly before they were made public but denies accusations that the Labor Party knew about it weeks beforehand and weaponized the information. This was confirmed by leaked text messages between Higgins and her boyfriend, where Gallagher was referred to as an “old friend.” Gallagher admitted that she had been given information but denied that she worked on it. Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash says that it is “very, very clear” that Gallagher had prior knowledge about the issue before it was publicized. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already ruled out referring Gallagher to the anti-corruption commission over the multi-million dollar compensation payment to Higgins.