The #MeToo movement has influenced many politicians and media representatives to favour the word of women over the denials of men accused of a sexual assault. A multi-page report and commentaries by journalist, Kate Kyriacou, in the Brisbane Courier Mail dated 08 April 2022 in relation to the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce established by the Palaszczuk government “to improve the system for victims of sexual assault” demonstrates that a bipartisan approach is sorely needed to deal with sexual assault allegations; not the current, female-victim-centred approach.

The Courier Mail’s information quoted statistics that “two in five Australians agreed it was common for sexual assault allegations to be used to get back at men.” The report also included an anonymous survivor’s ‘open letter’ about how traumatic it is to seek justice in Queensland, citing cold, clinical, and confusing police interview and court processes. 

Ms Kyriacou stated in her opinion piece on page 63 that “Anyone foolish enough to believe sexual assault claims are mostly made up by women seeking revenge should read (the open letter)...” and questioned “Why would anybody put themselves through such a thing?” Ms Kyriacou also lamented the so-called, “antiquated law” existing only in Queensland and the Northern Territory that protects a person accused of a serious sexual assault from being identified in media reports until the evidence is tested at the committal hearing. 

Firstly, an allegation is not proof that a sexual assault occurred; and whilst most sexual assault allegations by women may be genuine, enough have been subsequently disproven to absolutely justify questioning the veracity of each claim. Secondly there are valid reasons to protect a person’s identity, as also occurs in Queensland in some cases where a woman charged with or found guilty of child abuse is not named in the media. Every case should be determined by the judiciary on its individual merits. 

The #MeToo movement typically justifies unsubstantiated, public naming and shaming’ based on the perspective that if a few falsely accused men are ‘thrown under the bus’ in the process, so-be-it! Is Ms Kyriacou suggesting that Queensland’s media be arbitrarily allowed to publicly identify all men who are simply accused of perpetrating sexual assault and potentially ruin their reputations and family relationships? Does the Courier Mail not agree that an accused person is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt?

There is no Queensland government ‘gender office’ or dedicated ‘Task Force’ representing the concerns and rights of men abused and disrespected by women, but there is much anecdotal information available on independent, ‘men’s rights’ websites about the experiences of male victims of false sexual assault allegations, such as the (She must be believed? | Wrongful Convictions Report). The Courier Mail is a cheerleader for the Palaszczuk government doing ‘whatever it takes’ to prosecute men for crimes against women. Is it trying to influence public opinion to wrongly believe that non-compassionate police investigation practices and alleged unjust court-process-related outcomes are limited to women?

Why doesn’t mainstream media present a gender balanced perspective on sexual assault allegations and remind the public of reports, victim-stories and commentaries that demonstrate the traumatic and unjust experiences of Australian men subjected to vengeful accusations of sexual assault allegations by women that have been exposed or failed scrutiny under rigorous investigation or in criminal court trials, like the following cases: 

The sexual assault charges against NRL player, Jack de Belin, that were dropped in May 2021 after the jury in two separate trials failed to reach a majority verdict (Sexual assault charges against Jack de Belin and Callan Sinclair dropped (9news.com.au); and actor, Craig McLachlan, who was found not guilty in December 2020 of allegations he indecently assaulted four women during the Melbourne stage production of the Rocky Horror Show (Actor Craig McLachlan found not guilty of all 13 indecent and common law assault charges (9news.com.au); and actor, John Jarratt, who was tried in July 2019 and found not guilty of rape allegations (John Jarratt trial: Actor wants laws changed after rape allegation damaged reputation (9news.com.au). 

Journalist, Kate Kyriacou did not question why John Jarratt’s female accuser, who made sexual assault allegations against him after more than four decades had elapsed, is given automatic anonymity under the law. As Jarratt stated after his trial, “The person who is the perpetrator of an evil lie walks away scot-free with a suppression order. That’s wrong.”

The Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce is unlikely to make any recommendations to protect men from false accusations, and journalists cannot truthfully know how many false accusations of sexual assault are levelled by women against men annually in Australia. Male politicians and media representatives should not be so foolish as to think that false accusations of sexual assault and violence could not one day be levelled against them too; and it is imperative in the interests of justice that those that have been exposed are noted by investigating and prosecuting authorities and publicised. 

The case of ACT man, Daniel Jones exemplifies the very real danger of injustice occurring when authorities believe the accusations of a woman over the protests of an innocent man (60 Minutes: Daniel Jones sent to jail after being wrongly accused of rape by fiancee - Australia news (9news.com.au). Mr Jones was wrongly imprisoned for four months in 2014 because of false domestic violence and rape accusations levelled against him by his ex-fiancé, Sarah Parkinson, and the initial flawed police investigation and judicial mishandling of the matter. Daniel Jones’ parents spent over $350,000.00 on legal fees battling for five years to have their son released and Parkinson jailed. This wrongly imprisoned man feared for his life in prison because he was a former corrections officer. Parkinson has shown no remorse for her criminal behaviour, and astoundingly, was released early on parole in February 2021 after serving just two years of what many consider a lenient three-year jail sentence.  It is reasonable for a critically thinking person to conclude that the mistreatment of Daniel Jones and his family occurred due to a prevailing “believe the woman” attitude by ACT authorities towards men who are accused of domestic or sexual violence by women.

Consider also a more recent case reported by men’s rights advocate, Bettina Arndt, about an unnamed Sydney man who received a substantial financial settlement of a one $million malicious prosecution case against NSW police and prosecutors which exposed their disgraceful behaviour in ignoring clear video evidence revealing his ex-wife’s false rape and assault allegations and the role of authorities in encouraging her to concoct new allegations and their lies in court attempting to keep him in prison. The settlement came after a five-year ordeal for this innocent man, after his ex-wife lied to police that he had raped her a few weeks after the couple split up in 2015 but had a brief reconciliation culminating in consensual sex on the day in question. This man spent a month in prison and over $350,000.00 in legal costs before the allegations were thrown out after a ten-day jury trial. The trial judge described his ex-wife’s evidence as “demonstrably false” and said the prosecutor had failed to take into account “clear and consistent, objective evidence” backing up the man’s claim that he was wrongly accused. His female accuser has suffered no adverse consequences for her malicious lies and this innocent man’s efforts to have her charged with perjury have received persistent knockbacks from police, the NSW DPP, and other relevant complaint bodies. Ms Arndt claims she has subsequently canvased police officers across Australia who report that they are told to never take action against a woman caught out making false rape or violence accusations in case the punishment of false accusers deters genuine victims from reporting crimes.  

Is this NSW case an example of what accused men can expect from Queensland’s justice system overseen by a Premier who refuses to recognise male DV abuse victims in public education campaigns and her Attorney-General/Minister for Women lieutenant – i.e., women accusing men of rape and violence having license to perjure themselves in court and concoct mistruths which, even if proved false, will rarely bear any adverse consequences? 

Based on their demonstrated, planned, and orchestrated intentions to prosecute men under new domestic violence laws, I have no faith in Queensland’s Premier and her ‘Attorney-General for Women’ protecting the rights of innocent men from false sexual assault accusations. The Courier Mail also exhibits an amazing willingness to overlook the DV crimes and false sexual assault allegations perpetrated by women against men in editorials and journalist opinion pieces. The state government and mainstream media are pursuing the same tactic regarding sexual assault allegations as they do in relation to crimes of domestic and family violence by focusing attention on the behaviour of some men and distracting attention away from vengeful women perpetrators and appearing to suggest that the word of a woman against that of an accused man should not be doubted.

Ian Patterson, Bardon Qld (surviving male domestic violence victim of a female intimate partner)