Bruce Lehrmann

Bruce Lehrmann (born June 1995) is an Australian former political staffer, primarily known for his involvement in the 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations. He grew up in Toowoomba and moved to Canberra in 2013 to begin university studies and to work as a staffer.

Lehrmann was first publicly accused of rape in February 2021 and appeared before the court in November of that year. His criminal trial was aborted in October 2022 after juror misconduct resulted in a mistrial. A retrial did not proceed due to concerns for the health and welfare of the complainant.

In 2023, Lehrmann sued several media outlets for defamation over their reporting of the allegations against him. In a defamation case brought by Lehrmann against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, Justice Michael Lee of the Federal Court of Australia ruled in April 2024 that, on the civil balance of probabilities, Lehrmann had raped a colleague in Parliament House. Lehrmann appealed this verdict. The appeal, heard by the Full Court of the Federal Court in August 2025, centred on claims that Lehrmann was denied procedural fairness and natural justice. On 3 December 2025 the court dismissed Lehrmann's appeal and ordered him to pay costs.