Tracey Spicer should own error over domestic violence names: Rosie Batty

Rosie Batty has called on Tracey Spicer to stop blaming others for the release of rape victims’ details.

Rosie Batty says Tracey Spicer should take full responsibility over the domestic violence documentary error. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Prominent anti-domestic violence ­advocate Rosie Batty has called on Tracey Spicer to step up and stop blaming others for the “blatant and egregious mistake” in which the details of three victims of domestic violence or sexual assault were released without their knowledge or consent.

While Spicer has said she is “truly sorry” and “gutted” that the women’s identities — and details of their experiences — were ­exposed in a preview version of an ABC documentary about the #MeToo movement in Australia, the former newsreader maintained she was not ultimately ­responsible for the appalling error as she was not the program’s prod­ucer, merely one of its “many ­participants”.

READ MORE: Editorial: Deplorable breach defies belief | #MeToo warrior Tracey Spicer ‘sorry’ after rape victims exposed by ABC bungle

The excuse did not wash with Ms Batty, who said the issue of domestic violence was too important for buck-passing and blame-sharing, and that Spicer needed to take full accountability for her actions.

“Tracey can blame the ABC and the producers for such a blatan­t and egregious mistake but the women reached out to ­Tracey,” the former Australian of the Year said. “The people they reached out to were not the ABC, they reached out to Tracey.

“I am sure she’s horrified by what has happened but, when you are the custodian of stories from vulnerable people who have ­experienced significant trauma and violence and abuse, the buck stops with you.”

Former journalist Tracey Spicer maintained she was not ultimately ­responsible for the appalling error as she was not the program’s prod­ucer. Picture: AAP

Spicer told the National Press Club on Wednesday that she had agreed to take part in the three-part documentary, Silent No More, on the understanding that any information identifying victims­ who had not agreed to be ­involved would be “blurred, redact­ed and de-identified”.

But the women’s details and ­experiences with rape, domestic violence and harassment were ­revealed in footage that showed Spicer scrolling through the many #MeToo message she received since making a public appeal for victims to come forward in 2017.

It is understood one of the women was a domestic violence survivor, while the other two were victims of sexual assault.

Spicer said she had perhaps been “naive” to allow the material to be filmed. “The fact this wasn’t done is deeply distressing,” the 52-year-old said. “I am truly sorry, and frankly I am gutted and devastated by what has happened.”

The ABC said in a statement that an early version of the documentary, produced by Southern Pictures and scheduled to air on November 25, was released “due to human error” to a small number of accredited media under embargo.

Ms Batty was taking part in a Women’s Health workshop on the ethics of working with domestic ­violence survivors who want to share their stories when news of the scandal broke, and said she was astounded by Spicer’s lack of considerati­on for the women who ­entrusted her with details about their experiences.

“Not only has she breached their trust, the reality is, for those who are still impacted by domestic ­violence, she’s put them in a very dangerous position and at significant risk,” Ms Batty said.

“What she should be doing now is taking full responsibility, apologising unreservedly, stating exact­ly what she will do to ensure some­thing like this will not happen again and personally reaching out to all the women who have been betrayed. This is a real wake-up call as to how we invite people to come forward­ with that sort of inform­ation, and how we store and use that information. A lot of well-intentione­d ­organisations or peopl­e get ­involved without the skills, expertise or understanding to help these women, and it’s too serious and important a matter to leave them exposed.”

Spicer had faced fierce criticism over her handling of the thousands of disclosures she received from victims following her call-out. She said she had expected 12 to 15 responses and was overwhelmed when more than 2000 people shared their tales, which she ­admitted she had not been qualified to handle.

“There were a lot of flaws in this very patched-together system ­because of a tsunami of disclosures that I most certainly didn’t ­expect,” she said.

“That’s why I feel devastated for anyone who didn’t hear back.”

Given Spicer’s background as a journalist, Ms Batty said she was “surprised Tracey underestimated just how many people would reach out”. “But we need to be really mindful of how we’re going about this and that people who want to help have the right professional structure and support in place so they can deliver the goals they want to achieve,’’ she said.