Women are furious about the Lehrmann trial outcome. Men should be too

It is beyond frustrating that the legal process has not been followed through, but even more frustrating to me that those who have been victims are made victims twice over by the legal system. Since the trial was discharged, I’ve spoken to so many lawyers with expertise in the area. Surely, I’ve asked, surely convictions would be more likely without juries? But it turns out that during COVID, based on ACT data, victims were no more likely to see offenders convicted in judge-alone trials.

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And what of perpetrators or those who might be? For years, I’ve interviewed Michael Flood, now a professor at QUT, one of Australia’s leaders of research on masculinity and gender relations, about our longest war. He says what we all know in our hearts. We must encourage men to adopt a fundamental respect for women’s bodily rights and autonomy and to see consent as important, to understand entitlement doesn’t help anyone, not men as they seek to have long-lasting, loving relationships with women. Men, he says, have a problem.

Not all men. But too many men. Far too many. And too many women whose stories are never told. Far too many sexual assaults. Far too much grief and pain and loss. And let me quote the extraordinary Saxon Mullins, she who survived multiple court cases and who was told she could not get her third day in court.

“The system DESTROYS you. Because that’s what it was built to do. We ask people to come forward and to share their stories to make it better and then we punish them for it. Is it changing? Of course it’s changing but at a pace so glacial we continue to hurt survivors.”

Hurt survivors and everyone else involved. It can’t go on like this. As Angela Lynch says, we need the federal attorney-general to lead a national conversation about how we achieve justice for sexual violence complainants in Australia. All ideas should be on to be on the table. National leadership is required, and a sense of urgency and engagement with survivors, and key stakeholders to consider all ideas and a way forward.

“You can’t just say sexual violence is a national priority you have to back this with resourcing to make this a reality. ”

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

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