Brittany Higgins has made a summer escape to the Maldives, posting pictures of her joyous holiday alongside her new fiance.
The former political staffer shared photos of the couple’s trip to Instagram on Sunday night, a fortnight after her partner David Sharaz proposed to her in Byron Bay on New Year’s Eve.
Ms Higgins recently reached a confidential settlement with the federal government, receiving a payout in the vicinity of $3m following a personal injury claim against the commonwealth connected to her alleged rape in Parliament House.
The multimillion-dollar payout came after prosecutors decided to drop a charge of sexual intercourse without consent against Bruce Lehrmann.
Mr Lehrmann, who pleaded not guilty, has strenuously denied the allegation.
Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz set out to put the difficult year behind them, posting holiday snaps of the couple snorkelling, relaxing on picturesque beaches and sailing on a boat.
“Our little summer getaway! As the Enya song says, ‘sail, sail away!’,” Ms Higgins wrote on Instagram.
Mr Sharaz, a news operations manager and former breakfast news reader and producer, thanked Ms Higgins for “the best Christmas present ever”.
Ms Higgins posted to Instagram last month, celebrating her graduation from Griffith University, where she had completed a double degree, and enrolment as an MBA student at Sydney University.
“It has been a journey but we’re finally here,” she wrote,
“My university experience has been an unconventional one, but I couldn’t be more proud to share this day with the people who helped get me here.
“Thank you to everyone who lent their time and expertise over the years – from lecturers to professional mentors.”
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