It’s little wonder that when Aboriginal women are the victims of abuse, they are so reluctant to come forward, writes MATT CUNNIGHAM

To describe the process of handling of Professor Mick Dodson’s exit as a shambles would be an understatement, writes MATT CUNNINGHAM.

OPINION: ACCORDING to Treaty Minister Selena Uibo, the resignation of Professor Mick Dodson as Treaty Commissioner was a “very difficult and very upsetting event for a lot of people, in terms of the aspirations that people have linked with the Treaty Commission and the office”.

It would be nice to think comments of Ms Uibo were edited from or taken out of context in this ABC article.

It would be nice to think her first concern had actually been for the victims of Professor Dodson’s alleged verbal abuse, in particular the woman he was accused of calling a “slut” and threatening to “knock her f***ing lights out” during an unprovoked confrontation in the Members Bar of TIO Stadium in January.

Sadly, I fear that’s not the case.

The same minister who made such a fuss of the “lateral violence” she was subjected to during last year’s election, has been far more quiet on the allegations of actual abuse towards this woman.

The final joke – if you’re still able to laugh – in the comedy of errors that has been the handling of Professor Dodson’s exit, was delivered this week.

Prominent Aboriginal barrister Tony McAvoy SC was appointed to replace Professor Dodson just three days before a deadline was set to expire that would have seen the Government in breach of its own Act.

The Act says the Treaty Commissioner’s office can’t be vacant for more than six months.

Professor Dodson had resigned on June 11.

And so the Government cobbled together a “virtual” swearing in of its new Commissioner on Wednesday, even though he was still in Sydney and wouldn’t be arriving in the NT until January 1.

But McAvoy — whose appointment has been widely praised — could only be appointed the acting commissioner.

The Government has been unable to appoint a permanent replacement as the Treaty Commission Act was written specifically for Professor Dodson.

The Act names him as the Treaty Commissioner until March 3 next year, when the Commission’s final report is due.

This surely raises all sorts of questions about how this piece of legislation was drafted.

And it stands as the only possible explanation for why the Treaty Commissioner’s office has been allowed to be vacant for so long.

This Government has made a great deal of its commitment to the Treaty process.

Yet when the man who was leading that process was forced to stand down, it didn’t get around to appointing a replacement for almost six months.

Now Mr McAvoy will have just two months to get his head around the negotiations before handing down the Commission’s final report.

To describe the process as a shambles would be an understatement.

More concerning than the Government’s handling of Professor Dodson’s replacement though, has been its handling of the original complaint against him, and its treatment of the Aboriginal woman who was brave enough to come forward and call out his disgraceful behaviour.

Ms Uibo was informed in writing of the incident at TIO Stadium on March 30.

Under normal circumstances, a person holding a position of such stature who had been accused of this sort of behaviour would be immediately stood down pending an investigation.

In normal circumstances, a Minister might call the person in, ask for an explanation, and if not satisfied by the response, demand a resignation. Can you imagine the Police Commissioner, the ICAC Commissioner or the Corrections Commissioner remaining in their job if they had been the subject of credible allegations of this nature?

Their desk would have been cleared by the end of the day.

This didn’t happen with Professor Dodson.

While the incident was referred to Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet chief executive Jodie Ryan for investigation, Professor Dodson was able to remain in his $270,000-a-year job while this took place.

It wasn’t until the incident was made public in mid-May, that Chief Minister Michael Gunner stepped in and took action. After similar complaints surfaced from other Aboriginal women, Mr Gunner told Professor Dodson he had lost his confidence.

Professor Dodson didn’t want to go and some powerful people — to their shame — lobbied behind the scenes for him to keep his job.

Mr Gunner deserves credit for holding the line.

But even now, after Professor Dodson was forced to resign in disgrace, the NT Government’s Treaty Commission website still devotes a page to lavishing praise upon him.

It’s little wonder that when Aboriginal women are the victims of abuse, they are so reluctant to come forward.

STORY: A TERRITORY Government website continues to lavish praise on disgraced former Treaty Commissioner Mick Dodson, six months after he was forced to resign over allegations he verbally abused women.

The Government’s Treaty Commission website describes Professor Dodson as a “highly respected Aboriginal Advocate who has spent his life fighting for the rights and interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians”.

Professor Dodson was forced to resign in June after he was accused of verbally abusing Aboriginal women.

One woman accused him of calling her a “slut” and threating to “knock her f***ing lights out” during an unprovoked altercation in the members bar at TIO Stadium after a football match in January.

Another woman later said she’d been subjected to similar abuse at the Alice Springs casino in 2018. Professor Dodson resigned on June 11 and apologised to the women.

The website makes no mention of the reason for Professor Dodson’s resignation. It simply notes he served as the NT’s first Treaty Commissioner from March 2019 to June 2021.

It goes on to heap praise on the Katherine-born professor.

“Professor Dodson AM is a long term barrister and lawyer and specialises in Native Title and human rights,” the website says. “Professor Dodson AM has been a prominent advocate of land rights and other issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Australia and globally and has served as the Pacific member on the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.” Treaty Minister Selena Uibo did not respond to questions before deadline about why the website continued to praise Professor Dodson given the circumstances that led to his departure.

Originally published as It’s little wonder that when Aboriginal women are the victims of abuse, they are so reluctant to come forward, writes MATT CUNNIGHAM