CLP’s Steve Doherty refuses to resign after blaming DV victims over violent relationships

The former vice-president of the Country Liberal Party has been asked to resign after blaming victims for remaining in violent relationships and saying domestic violence is ‘quite often a love dance’.

NT Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro, left, Helen Secretary and Steve Doherty.

A former vice president of the Country Liberal Party has been asked to resign from the party after blaming domestic violence victims for remaining in violent relationships and has since doubled down on his claims, saying domestic violence is ‘quite often a love dance’.

CLP campaign manager Steve Doherty is refusing to step down after CLP president Shane Stone personally called upon him to quit following the controversial comments in which he said women should “take some personal responsibility for their own lives”.

Mr Doherty is campaign manager for Helen Secretary, who was acquitted of murder for killing her abusive husband in the 1990s after it was found she was acting in self defence following years of mental and physical abuse.

The 57-year-old’s comments divided the Country Liberal Party, with some figures privately backing Mr Doherty, while others calling for him to step down less than one month before Territorians head to the polls.

“I’m not resigning, they’ll have to boot me out or drag me out of the place,” he told The Australian on Tuesday afternoon.

“We’ve always been known to be a broad church, we’re allowed to cross the floor, we highly value opposing views, its free speech, is democratic method that underpins western civilisation,” he said.

Steve Doherty's controversial Facebook post

In separate comments to this masthead made prior to being asked to resign, Mr Doherty claimed he was a victim of ‘cancel culture’ and that CLP ‘bullies’ were trying to censor him.

Sources say there have been internal attempts to censor him, including that he is prohibited from posing with or posting photographs with party leader Lia Finocchiaro.

Mr Doherty, who lives in an Indigenous community in Darwin, said “welfare, alcohol, special victimhood, anti-men, anti-western civilisation and anti-family values” were a problem modern-day society, and that Indigenous Australians had to “get a job, get off the grog, grow up and take some responsibility for (their) actions”.

“I stand by my comments and am offended at the notion that some bullies are going to make me take my down my comments,” he told The Australian.

“Free speech cancel culture reigns supreme, DV is not always one sided long term abuse, quite often it is a ‘love dance’,” he said.

The revelations, which come in the lead-up to the Territory heading to the polls on August 24, have raised further questions on the CLP’s stance on domestic violence issues in the NT – which has some of the highest rates of DV in the world.

NT Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro told The Australian: “I am appalled and totally reject Mr Doherty’s comments which in no way represent the views of the CLP”

NT opposition DV spokesman Steve Edgington stood down in March after it was revealed he knowingly hired a serial domestic violence perpetrator.

Ms Secretary and Mr Doherty. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

CLP president and former NT chief minister Shane Stone said he “didn’t approve” of Mr Doherty’s comments.

“If you go back and look at my government, we were the pioneers of ‘its got to stop’,” he said. “I take a real dim view of this sort of stuff … he doesn’t hold any executive role relative to the CLP,” Mr Stone said.

In the social media post, revealed by The Australian on Tuesday, Mr Doherty said women should “take some personal responsibility for their own lives” and questioned when would DV no longer be the responsibility of police or a minister but instead of a woman.

CLP president Shane Stone.

“I am sick of men bashing,” he said. “I am sick of demonising the man making it easier and easier to break up the nuclear family and put everyone on the welfare.”

He criticised Anthony Albanese for pledging $1bn towards helping women leaving violent relationships, claiming “repeat offenders” were possibly “gaming the system”.

He said he had done his “legal duty” and reported DV when it was witnessed, and alleges he was contacted by police who asked him to refrain from reporting a couple who were subject to domestic violence orders.

“I have lost a couple of teeth stopping violence between partners and have been chased around community by both of them,” he said.

Mr Doherty said he was considering running for CLP preselection in as the candidate for Solomon.