Sexual assault survivors are being harmed by the sustained political brawl over Brittany Higgins' rape allegation, the head of a peak medical body warns.
But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has defended his party's pursuit of the government over the possible use of the former Liberal staffer's allegation for political gain.
Australian Medical Association President Steve Robson said many survivors would find the media reporting, which referenced leaked court material, triggering.
"I cannot imagine how triggering this would be for the tens of thousands of Australian women who have been victims of assaults and never told anybody, kept it inside," he told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
"It may play politically one way or the other but, by God, it is harming a lot of women."
Professor Robson, who treats sexual assault survivors, said the latest furore would be a terrible disincentive to someone making a complaint.
"Many of the women I treat will retreat further into the shell (and) not want to report what should be a reportable crime to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.
Mr Dutton was asked on Wednesday to explain why the coalition was hounding the government, despite concerns the politicisation of the issue is harmful to those involved and could silence similar allegations in the future.
The opposition has accused Finance Minister Katy Gallagher of misleading parliament by suggesting she was not aware of Ms Higgins' rape allegations before they were made public in 2021, despite leaked text messages suggesting otherwise.
Responding to a delegate's question at a local government conference in Canberra, Mr Dutton said it was reasonable to seek answers from a government that may have conspired to gain political advantage from an alleged sexual assault.
As the councillor labelled the ongoing politicisation of the alleged rape by both sides of politics as disgusting - a characterisation that drew applause from the crowd - Mr Dutton said it was important to hold the government to account.
"It doesn't demean the allegation of sexual assault," he said.
"It doesn't seek to draw innocence or guilt from any party that's involved in this matter."
Senator Gallagher insisted she only received information about the allegation from Ms Higgins' partner David Sharaz and had not been in contact with other media outlets who first reported the story.
She said her relationship with Mr Sharaz was purely professional and urged parliament to think about how the ongoing coverage was impacting people.
Mr Dutton said he supported an investigation by the Australian Federal Police into how Ms Higgins' private messages were leaked to the media.
Ms Higgins alleged she was raped by fellow Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann inside the Parliament House office of then-minister Linda Reynolds in 2019, a claim he has always denied.
Mr Lehrmann faced a criminal trial that was derailed by juror misconduct.
Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charge because of the impact a second trial could have on the mental health of Ms Higgins.
Senator Reynolds has threatened to take defamation action against Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek in relation to a television interview that discussed the alleged rape.
Ms Plibersek confirmed she had received an "interesting letter" on Tuesday.
"As far as I’m concerned, all legal options are on the table," she said.
Senator Reynolds told AAP her lawyers had issued a defamation concerns notice to Ms Plibersek over an interview that aired on Seven on Monday.
"Her comments conveyed the defamatory imputations that I acted to conceal or hide the commission of a criminal offence and also that I acted inappropriately during the investigation of the Brittany Higgins’ allegations," the former minister said.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
