Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has apologised to a former staffer after calling her a “lying cow”.

Brittany Higgins threatened defamation action, unless Senator Reynolds retracted the comments and issued a public apology.

The remarks were made in private, but leaked to the media.

“A report in The Australian attributed some remarks to me regarding the very serious allegations made by my former staff member, Ms Brittany Higgins,” Ms Reynolds said in a statement.

“I have never questioned Ms Higgins’ account of her alleged sexual assault and have always sought to respect her agency in this matter.

“In response to a letter from Ms Higgins’ lawyers yesterday afternoon, discussions are now underway through our legal representatives in an effort to resolve this matter as soon as possible, with any resolution to include an apology.

“However, in the meantime, I want to express how deeply sorry I am for these remarks and for any hurt and distress they have caused.”

Ms Higgins, a former Liberal staffer, alleged she was raped by a colleague in Senator Reynolds’ office in 2019.

The Minister made the remark after Ms Higgins claimed she didn’t receive enough support, when she went public with her rape allegations last month.

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