DV victims should ‘take some personal responsibility for their own lives’, says senior NT CLP figure Steve Doherty
Senior NT Country Liberal Party figure Steve Doherty has blamed domestic violence victims for remaining in violent relationships.
A former vice-president of the Country Liberal Party blamed domestic violence victims for remaining in violent relationships, claiming women should “take some personal responsibility for their own lives” in recently unearthed social media posts.
Steve Doherty is campaign manager for CLP candidate Helen Secretary, who was in 1996 acquitted of shooting her husband in his sleep after it was found she was acting in self defence after being mentally and physically abused.
Mr Doherty said in a social media post last year that it was the responsibility of a woman to leave a domestic violence relationship, and questioned when DV would no longer be the responsibility of police or a minister but instead of a woman.
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 DV spokesman Steve Edgington stood down in March after it was revealed he knowingly hired a serial domestic violence perpetrator.
Sharing a NT News article titled “Accused of attacking his partner”, Mr Doherty asked: “Can the MT News (sic) follow up to see if this ‘poor’ woman goes back to living with this ‘man’ after he is released again.
“When is it no longer the Ministers responsibility or no longer the police responsibility but it is the woman’s responsibility or her friends or family that must stand by year after year.
“How about those in abusive relationships take some personal responsibility for their own lives?”
On Monday, Ms Secretary told The Australian she was “upset” by the comments Mr Doherty had made, and that she had spoken to him about them.
“Steve has been very supportive with me and the community, he knows about what I went through, he’s a good person,” she said.
“He sticks up for the women here in the community, not just in this community, outside.”
Kate Worden, the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, labelled the comments as “disgusting”.
“Women stay with violent partners because they fear for their life or the lives of their loved ones,” she said.
“The CLP seems to think women stay with violent partners because they aren’t smart enough to leave.
“Blaming a victim who is petrified that they will die at the hands of a violent partner is so despicable it is hard to put into words.
“This is just the latest demonstration of the CLP’s views towards DV victims and how poorly they think of them.”
It was revealed by The Australian this year that CLP MLA Mr Edgington hired a “notorious domestic violence perpetrator” who had been jailed multiple times for breaching domestic violence orders.
The then opposition domestic violence spokesman resigned from the portfolio after it was also revealed he struck up a business partnership with former CLP president Jason Newman just three months after Mr Newman pleaded guilty to committing aggravated assault against his wife.
Mr Doherty was contacted for comment.
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