1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Today's biggest news from The Australian. I'm Claire Harvey with 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: the Front's afternoon headlines. Finance Minister Katie Gallagher is refusing 3 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: to get behind a parliamentary inquiry into who knew what 4 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: and when about Brittany higgins declaration she was raped by 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: her former Liberal Party colleague Bruce Lahman. Lehman has always 6 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: denied any wrongdoing, and so has Senator Linda Reynolds, who 7 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: was higgins boss at the time of the incident. Reynolds 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: is calling for the inquiry after two courts said there 9 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,599 Speaker 1: was no evidence of a cover up. Gallagher said it's 10 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,839 Speaker 1: a matter for Parliament if an inquiry goes ahead. It 11 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: comes as Higgins has dropped her appeal of a finding 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 1: by the WA Supreme Court. She defaned Reynolds in social 13 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:50,480 Speaker 1: media posts. Linda Reynolds is an intriguing figure. A former 14 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: senior minister now out of politics, She's determined to restore 15 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: her reputation at what would seem to be any cost. 16 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: She's racked up hundreds of thousands in legal bills securing 17 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: the defamation win and now she wants an acknowledgment from 18 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: the Parliament that she hasn't done anything wrong. Reynolds blames 19 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: senior labor women, including Penny Wong and Gallagher, for contributing 20 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: to the false perception that she and her chief of 21 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,919 Speaker 1: staff Fiona Brown were prepared to walk past the rape 22 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: of Higgins. Scroll back in your feed to hear an 23 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: episode entitled The Political Women Locked in an Unending Brittany 24 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: Higgins inspired Feud. That's our full story on Reynolds's determination 25 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: to get justice. Jewelry for Millennia, ug boots for the grandkids, 26 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: and a model submarine for Donald J. Trump. Those are 27 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,839 Speaker 1: the gifts that Anthony Albanezi took to the White House. 28 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: The Prime Minister has reluctantly detailed the gifts, which are 29 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: a traditional part of state visits, like the one that 30 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: saw him faded by the President earlier this week, and 31 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: I'm sure it will be. Albanezi says he's not sure 32 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: what he got in return. That state visit saw the 33 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: President embarrass Kevin Rudd over previous critical tweets, telling Australia's ambassador, 34 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: I don't like you. But as Front listeners know, Rud 35 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: apologized and the President told him all was forgiven. Opposition 36 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: leader Susan Lee immediately demanded Rudd's sacking, but now she's 37 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: at odds with one of her own team, with Federal 38 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: Liberal MP Jane Hume saying it was a bit churlish 39 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 1: to suggest Rudd's position was untenable. Hume, who Lee punted 40 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: to the backbench after the election, says Rudd was critical 41 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: to the critical minerals and rare earth steal that Trump 42 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: and Albanezi signed on Tuesday. Check out those stories live 43 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: right now at the Australian dot com dot au and 44 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: come back to the front first thing in the morning 45 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,519 Speaker 1: for our close look at a big story for investors 46 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 1: and jewelry lovers. The price of gold went through the 47 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: roof and now it seems to be hurtling back towards 48 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: the floor. Market editor David Rodgers joins us to explain 49 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: what's going on.