Jay Christopher Lingman was found guilty in 2021 of murdering Denver Chance.

Text messages by Brittany Higgins that were leaked to the media may be a deliberate effort to influence a defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann against several media outlets, the Federal Court has heard.

The phone records were reportedly sent to the parties involved in Mr Lehrmann's criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court over allegations he raped Ms Higgins in Parliament House.

The case was dropped due to the Director of Public Prosecutions's concerns about Ms Higgins' wellbeing, after which Mr Lehrmann launched defamation action against the ABC, Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.

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High-profile defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, who is representing Wilkinson, told the Federal Court in Sydney on Friday the ongoing media storm surrounding Ms Higgins and her client seemed like an "orchestrated campaign" to influence the proceedings.

She said the "overwhelming impact" on Ms Higgins of having her phone records leaked to the media could influence her ability to appear as a witness.

"The publicity of the last few days could only have been calculated to put pressure on witnesses not to co-operate," Ms Chrysanthou said.

Ms Chrysanthou suggested Mr Lehrmann be asked if he was involved in leaking the text messages to the media.

"We've made inquiries of all other parties," she said.

Mr Lehrmann's barrister, Matthew Richardson SC, said his client "absolutely denies" the suggestion he was involved in leaking evidence which he described as a "grave and serious allegation".

Ms Chrysanthou also said an interview with Mr Lehrmann aired by Channel Seven on Sunday, only showed his side of events and painted Ms Higgins and Wilkinson as "villains".

"We have seen this week … an overwhelming amount of inappropriate media," Ms Chrysanthou said.

"That publicly has been to such an extent that it … has had the effect … of putting improper pressure on my client. Overwhelmingly so."

Lawyer for Ten and ABC, Dr Matthew Collins KC, said Mr Lehrmann had made clear he "intends to run a public campaign against Ms Higgins in the media".

Justice Michael Lee said an official application would have to be made to the court regarding any alleged efforts to interfere with the administration of justice.

"I'm not seeking to minimise people's personal feelings about it … but in the exercise of judicial power I deal with applications, not complaints," Justice Lee said.

Ms Chrysanthou said she expected to receive instructions by her client to make such an application.

The hearing will continue on Friday afternoon.

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A teenager has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a woman and her 11-year-old daughter in a small town west of Brisbane.

The 39-year-old mother and young girl remain in hospital fighting for life, while the 16-year-old accused from Rosewood is in police custody.

The pair were found with multiple abdomen injuries after the alleged attack by a member of their family at a home in Normanton Close, Rosewood, about 60km south-west of Brisbane last night.

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Detective Inspector David Briese said the victims underwent surgery for major injuries and remained in a critical condition in hospital, while police are examining a knife found at the scene.

He said another child from the same family who was at the home was unharmed.

The teenage boy was taken into custody at the scene without incident last night.

Briese said one of the victims was able to call triple-zero, with emergency services arriving at the confronting scene shortly after.

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"If not for the actions of those first responders, it certainly could have been a lot worse," he said.

A crime scene has been declared and investigations continue.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact Policelink.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636. National Domestic Violence Service: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

The company behind two of Australia's most iconic zoos has admitted to underpaying current and former staff members by millions of dollars.

Casual workers at Taronga Zoo in Sydney and Dubbo's Taronga Western Plains Zoo were underpaid by about $2.6 million over a six year period.

The company admitted to the historical underpayments, saying it would start reimbursing affected staff – including six per cent interest and 11 per cent superannuation – next month.

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Taronga said it had self-identified the issue when it reviewed its award interpretations and how they applied to a new payroll system.

"Our people are the most important part of our organisation, and I am deeply sorry that this error has occurred. I offer my sincere apologies to those current and former staff who have been impacted," Taronga chief executive Cameron Kerr said.

"Ideally, we would have picked up the issue of underpayments earlier but disappointingly, amid the disruptions of COVID-19 and managing the introduction and embedding of the new payroll system, the shortfalls were missed.

"We take this matter very seriously, and we are in the process of notifying all those who have been affected.

"Taronga is committed to ongoing monitoring of our industrial Awards and payroll systems to prevent a reoccurrence."

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Taronga said some casual staff were not paid 15 per cent casual loading for work performed on weekdays over a six-year period, an issue that also resulted in a "shortfall on the calculation of the 1/12th allowance which is paid in lieu of annual leave".

An error in setting up a new payroll system also saw that allowance miscalculated for another group of casual employees.

The company has called on independent auditors to investigate the extent of the underpayments.

"We are committed to informing our people of the pay shortfall and remedying this quickly," it said.

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