Politics

Sarah Hanson-Young Is Being Slammed For Writing A Reference For Man Guilty Of Domestic Violence

She asked the court not to record a conviction, saying "a criminal conviction would have a severe and unwarranted impact on his reputation".

by Rachael Conaghan  6 March 2020
sarah hanson-young

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Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is under fire for writing a character reference for a man who pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges this week, saying a criminal conviction would have “severe and unwarranted impact on his reputation”.

In December last year the man — who cannot be named, but has been a friend of Hanson-Young’s for a decade — pinned his wife down and slapped her across the face.

According to court documents seen by the Sydney Morning Herald the couple had a number of drinks and a series of arguments before the man grabbed his partner and pushed her towards the couch.

She tried to hit him but was “overpowered” and pushed onto the couch “in an attempt to stop her yelling”. He then slapped her across the face.

The assault was witnessed by their son and daughter, who rang Triple-0 after walking in.

Hanson-Young has spoken out about domestic violence in the past, saying there were “no excuses”. After the death of Hannah Clarke and her three children last month she wrote, “moments like this must force politicians and leaders to confront the brutal reality of the domestic violence epidemic in our communities”.

But in her character reference for the man she said she could not “reconcile the person I know as acting in any way criminally”, and was confident it would not happen again.

“As someone who works in politics I understand precisely what reputation means in public life. In my view a criminal conviction would have a severe and unwarranted impact on his reputation and consequently on his work,” she wrote.

 

She also said he was one of the key people who advised her to take on her successful defamation case against former Senator David Leyonhjelm.

“It is true to say that without [his] care and advice over the past few years I would not have been as confident and supported in taking on the sexist and abusive behaviour I have been subjected to as a woman in the Australian parliament,” she wrote.

Hanson-Young has defended herself, saying she made the statement with “the full support of the wife”.

“I do not condone domestic violence, any suggestion otherwise is absurd,” she said. “In the interest of the family concerned and their privacy, I don’t intend to make any further comments.”

The man was charged with common assault in December last year and appeared in the ACT Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty. No conviction was recorded.