[1] She was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in the 2011 Australia Day Honours for "outstanding achievement as the Director of Army Strategic Reform Program coordination".

She also worked as an electorate officer and ministerial advisor, notably as chief of staff and senior adviser to justice minister Chris Ellison from 2001 to 2003.

However, her position was placed in doubt when the High Court ordered a fresh half-Senate election after determining that there were missing ballot papers.

On 23 August, she told the Senate that she was "distressed and disturbed" by the behaviour of some Liberal MPs during the leadership conflict, which had "no place in my party or this chamber".

[14] In early 2019, she was a strong opponent of the medevac bill that expanded the medical evacuation of asylum seekers from offshore processing facilities to Australia.

In a speech to the Senate, she said that the bill would encourage unauthorised arrivals by boat and that as a result the military would "have to recover the bloated corpses of babies and women mauled by sharks".

[16] Reynolds was appointed Minister for Defence in May 2019, following the Coalition's victory at the 2019 federal election,[1] the second woman to hold the position after Marise Payne.

[16] Her appointment was cautiously welcomed by Neil James, the president of the Australian Defence Association, who noted her lack of ministerial experience.

[16] In May 2020, Reynolds was accused of misleading the Senate by Mark Sullivan, the chair of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal, over her rejection of a posthumous Victoria Cross for Australia for Teddy Sheean.

[20] Reynolds was due to address the National Press Club on 24 February, but it was announced that day that she had taken indefinite medical leave related to a pre-existing condition.

[23] As part of a confidential settlement she also agreed to pay Higgins' legal costs and donate money to a sexual assault charity.

[26] In July 2023, Reynolds announced that she would ask the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding a Commonwealth personal injury compensation payment to Higgins, as well as the "speed and fairness of the Labor government’s handling of the case".

[27][28] On 15 April 2024, Justice Michael Lee of the Federal Court ruled that on the balance of probabilities Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.

"[33] In December 2023, solicitors acting on Reynolds' behalf applied for an urgent order to have Higgins' assets frozen before the Christmas recess period.

[34] In March 2024, it was reported that the ACT Government had paid compensation and apologised to Reynolds in respect of comments by Shane Drumgold, the prosecutor in the Higgins case.