A former federal senator and conservative campaigner has been handed responsibility for preventing domestic violence in Queensland, and the appointment has stirred unease among those who work most closely with survivors. Her 2023 argument that complainants should not be believed blindly, but weighed against evidence, sits uneasily with a long public record of doubt about false allegations, a doubt the evidence does not strongly support. The question at the center is an old one in any society: how to protect the accused from wrongful harm without teaching the injured that speaking out will brin
Queensland's New DV Minister Amanda Stoker Faces Scrutiny Over Resurfaced Comments on Believing Women
Support workers report private concern and fear of retaliation, while Full Stop Australia notes 92% of Queensland sexual assault victims never report to police.
What leaders say about sexual violence is heard by every person deciding whether to tell
Mark
Why is a minister's old opinion piece such a big deal here?
Mimi
Because the portfolio is about people deciding whether to come forward. Karen Bevan's point is that what leaders say gets heard by every person weighing whether to tell someone what happened.
Luke
Fair, but let's be exact. Stoker's piece argued for assessing evidence carefully and defending trial rights. Critics read that as undermining belief; her office says there's broader context. The piece itself doesn't say she'd weaken support for victims.
Mark
She has also made remarks about false allegations over several years, though.
Mimi
Yes, including a 2019 Sky News comment. And the police service says on its website that false reports are very low and that the myth deters reporting.
Luke
That's a good anchor, and the research on rarity is established. What's not established is how she'll act as minister. Her office didn't answer whether she supports safe-room evidence.
Mark
What about the people who work in the sector?
Mimi
Some welcomed her publicly. Several others raised concerns privately, and none would go on the record.
Luke
Worth noting that's anonymous and the number is only described as several. The claim that groups were warned not to criticise, and that some had funding cut, is what support organisations say, not something the government has confirmed here.
Mark
So what's the open question?
Mimi
Whether she clarifies her stance on victim safeguards, and whether her office's promise of listening to all stakeholders turns into anything concrete.
Il Polso
- A freshly sworn-in minister's old essay on 'blindly' believing women has resurfaced, and the timing has ignited a sharp backlash.
- Advocates warn that doubt-casting rhetoric is silencing victims at a moment when fewer than one in ten Queensland sexual assault survivors ever reach police.
- Frontline support workers are whispering their fears privately, afraid that speaking openly could cost them government funding.
- The minister's office has promised to hear all stakeholders and cites her legal background, but has not yet said whether she backs safe-room protections for victims.
- The trajectory now turns on whether her actions in the portfolio match her stated commitment to 'victims at the heart of government.'
A former federal senator and conservative campaigner has been handed responsibility for preventing domestic violence in Queensland, and the appointment has stirred unease among those who work most closely with survivors. Her 2023 argument that complainants should not be believed blindly, but weighed against evidence, sits uneasily with a long public record of doubt about false allegations, a doubt the evidence does not strongly support. The question at the center is an old one in any society: how to protect the accused from wrongful harm without teaching the injured that speaking out will bring disbelief. How the new minister answers that question, in word and in policy, will shape whether people feel safe enough to come forward at all.
Amanda Stoker was sworn in on Saturday as Queensland's minister for the prevention of domestic violence, and within days, women's safety advocates were pointing to a column she had written in 2023. In it, the rightwing MP argued that the push to believe complainants, rather than carefully assessing the evidence, would harm innocent defendants.
Stoker arrives with a long and combative public profile. A former federal senator, she was a prominent young conservative and a headline speaker at anti-abortion rallies before winning a seat in the Queensland parliament in 2024. Her 2023 piece, published by the Menzies Research Centre, criticised victim-focused reforms, including changes that allowed the media to name accused rapists before trial. She warned that a push to 'blindly' believe witnesses could lead to more innocent people being punished. Her remarks over the years have repeatedly returned to the idea that false allegations are made.
The evidence she is contesting is clear on one point. Researchers have found false allegations in sexual and domestic violence cases to be rare, and the Queensland Police Service calls the myth harmful to victims, because it deepens under-reporting. Karen Bevan of Full Stop Australia pointed out that 92% of Queensland women who experience sexual assault never go to police. Believing a disclosure, she said, is not the same as deciding guilt, and fair trials and survivor trust can coexist.
Beyond the public debate, support workers in Queensland describe private unease. None would speak on the record, citing warnings not to criticise the government and fears over funding. Stoker's office has said her comments need broader context, that she cares about procedural fairness, and that she is listening to all stakeholders. It has not yet said whether she supports safe-room evidence for victims. That answer, and how services respond in the months ahead, will tell the community a great deal.
Amanda Stoker was sworn in on Saturday as Queensland's minister for the prevention of domestic violence, and within days women's safety advocates were pointing to something she had written. In a 2023 opinion piece, the rightwing Queensland MP argued that the push to believe complainants "rather than carefully assess[ing] relevant evidence" would harm innocent defendants.
The portfolio came to her after the resignation of Amanda Camm. It also covers the child safety system. Stoker is a former federal senator who was chosen for the Senate in 2018 with the backing of the Liberal National party's faction of "Christian soldiers." She built a public profile as a young conservative, a headline speaker at anti-abortion rallies. She left the Senate in 2022 and was elected to the Queensland parliament in 2024.
The 2023 piece was published by the independent thinktank the Menzies Research Centre. In it, Stoker voiced concern about victim-focused reforms to the criminal justice system, including changes that let the media name accused rapists before trial. She said those changes removed "a small protection against the harm done to an accused's reputation from adverse publicity in cases so weak that they don't even meet the standard necessary to go to trial." She also wrote that the push to "blindly" #believeher, or any witness, was prone to cause great harm to innocent defendants. Removing the right to face one's accuser, or the ability to fully test evidence in court, she warned, would increase the number of innocent people punished for crimes they didn't commit.
The comments were not a one-off. Stoker has made remarks over several years suggesting false allegations of sexual assault are made. In 2019, speaking to Sky News about how universities handle such allegations, she said: "we don't want to see victims harmed, but we also don't want to see people harmed by false allegations."
The research cuts the other way on scale. Studies have established that false allegations in sexual and domestic violence cases are rare. The Queensland Police Service says on its website that there is "no evidence that many women make vexatious reports" and that the rate of false allegations is "very low." The QPS calls the myth harmful to society and to victims, because it contributes to under-reporting and leaves victims fearing they will meet disbelief and blame.
Karen Bevan, chief executive of Full Stop Australia, said what leaders say about sexual violence is heard by everyone deciding whether to tell someone what happened to them. She noted that in Queensland, 92% of women who experience sexual assault never report to police. Believing someone who discloses, she said, is not the same as deciding guilt: police still investigate and courts still test evidence, and a fair trial and a system victim-survivors trust can and must coexist. Grace Tame, the former Australian of the Year who criticised Stoker's 2021 appointment to the federal outer ministry, called this one "very disappointing," given that sexual, family and domestic violence in Australia is only worsening. She said Stoker had "essentially played into the overarching gaslighting" aimed at victim-survivors.
Some in the community sector welcomed the appointment publicly. But Guardian Australia spoke to several people who support victims of domestic and sexual violence in Queensland, and they described private concerns about her taking over the portfolio. None would speak on the record. Support organisations say they have been warned not to criticise the government, and others have had public funding cut.
Stoker's office did not answer specific questions sent on Tuesday, including whether her earlier statements fit with the state government's promise to put "victims at the heart of government." A spokesperson said there was broader context to her comments, that she has a legal background and "cares deeply about procedural fairness in all cases," and that she looks forward to hearing from all stakeholders and supports the policy direction of the Crisafulli government. Her office also did not say whether she backs safeguards such as letting some victim-survivors give evidence from a "safe room." That question, and how support services respond, are what to watch next.
Citazioni salienti
Believing someone when they disclose is not the same as deciding guilt.— Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia
Stoker has essentially played into the overarching gaslighting directed at victim survivors.— Grace Tame, former Australian of the Year
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Politics & Governance