An Australian senator is suing a former staff member who says she was raped inside Parliament House for defamation, over claims the politician helped cover it up.

Brittany Higgins made global headlines in 2021 when she alleged she was sexually assaulted by a colleague at work, then pressured by her superiors to keep quiet.

In a high-profile trial beginning Friday, Senator Linda Reynolds is arguing Ms Higgins sullied her reputation with a series of social media posts.

But Ms Higgins is defending the accusations that her former boss tried to “harass” and “silence” her as true.