We shouldn’t ‘blindly’ believe allegations of violence against women, Queensland’s new DV minister said in resurfaced comments

Concerns raised about appointment of former federal senator, Amanda Stoker, who has previously supported the rights of people accused of sexual assault

Women’s safety advocates have raised concerns about the appointment of rightwing Queensland MP Amanda Stoker as the state’s minister for the prevention of domestic violence in light of her resurfaced statements that people should not “blindly” believe women who make allegations of violence.

Stoker, who was appointed to the role on Saturday, argued in a 2023 article that the recent push to believe complaints “rather than carefully assess[ing] relevant evidence” would harm innocent defendants.

The former federal senator, has repeatedly supported the rights of people accused of sexual assault and implied some were subject to “false allegations”.