Brittany Higgins has tearfully thanked the people who have "rallied behind" her during the case of her alleged rapist, throughout which she says she felt like the person on trial.
The former Liberal Party staffer's alleged assailant has also reacted to a jury having to be discharged in an unexpected end to his trial, expressing disappointment at the outcome.
Chief Justice Lucy McCallum on Thursday declared a mistrial in the ACT Supreme Court, after being alerted to misconduct by a juror who took a research paper about sexual assault into the jury room.
The judge had warned the jury, which had been deliberating on a verdict for more than a week, at least 17 times not to conduct independent research.
After the jury was discharged and the case of alleged rapist Bruce Lehrmann, 27, had been listed for a potential retrial in February 2023, an emotional Ms Higgins spoke outside court for about four minutes.
The majority of her comments cannot be published for legal reasons, but she said she did not blame reporters who had been "called out" for referring to the case as "the Higgins trial".
"It's very clear who has been on trial," she said.
Ms Higgins concluded by thanking "the people of Australia who have rallied behind me".
She made special mention of the people who rallied at March 4 Justice events shortly after she went public with allegations of being raped by Lehrmann, a fellow former Liberal Party staffer, at Parliament House during their time working together for Senator Linda Reynolds.
Ms Higgins also praised Canberra's healthcare workers, "without whom I literally wouldn't be here today".
"Again, thank you to the [Director of Public Prosecutions] team, my family, my friends, my mum, Heidi Yates, the ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner, [lawyer] Leon Zwier, who I have stolen from his family for a really long time, [friend] Emma Webster and my partner, David [Sharaz]," Ms Higgins finished.
"Thank you to the court and its officers who treated me with such care and respect."
Lehrmann and his legal team had left court a few minutes earlier, chased by dozens of cameras.
Defence barrister Steven Whybrow offered a brief statement.
"Obviously everyone's disappointed with what's happened, but it would be inappropriate and irresponsible to say anything at this stage," he said.
