Michelle Milthorpe and her daughter Rose at her ‘accidental advocate’ event in Griffith. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
It was a Sunday morning in October 2013 when Michelle Milthorpe’s then five-year-old daughter Rose woke her up with every mother’s favourite phrase : “Mum … can I tell you something?”
What Ms Milthorpe was told that morning would set her on decade-long path of tragedy and triumph that would culminate in her transforming the court system for children and running as an independent to become the Member for Farrer in the upcoming federal election.
Last week she told this story at an event titled ‘accidental advocate’ at the Griffith Exies Sports club to an audience who listened in stunned silence.
Mum’s worst nightmare
“Rose asked me to tell a man, that we had trusted with our children, to stop doing things to her, things that no child should know about,” Ms Milthorpe said.
“As a mum, listening to your child disclose horrifying details of abuse, is an indescribable pain. My baby girl had just turned five.
“What unfolded after that disclosure saw us enter what we now refer to as our parallel universe.”
Her second youngest daughter, eight-year-old Pippa, soon disclosed that she also suffered ongoing sexual abuse from the same longtime family friend aged in his 70s.
MIchelle Milthorpe is now running for parliament. Photo: Supplied.
The legal battle
But that wasn’t the end of their pain. Her daughters would then face several more years of trauma at the hands of another abuser – our court and legal system.
“[The policeman] wouldn’t have met anyone like Pip … she had an excellent memory and was very brave … but counselling for the girls was challenging – over the two and a half years that it took to get to court, Pippa had three different counsellors. She began to think that people didn’t care.”
In court, Pippa and Rose, by then aged 11 and seven, each faced four full days of intensive questioning by lawyers.
“They felt intimidated, bullied and harassed … they felt like we were in trouble; they felt like we were being judged; they felt unprotected and extremely vulnerable. And it was allowed by all of the grown-ups in the room,” Ms Milthorpe said.
At the end of the gruelling process the offender was found guilty of sexual assault against Pippa but not Rose.
“If there was something that you could teach people about your experience, what would it be?” Michelle asked her daughters when it was finally over.
“Court is shit” was the response.
Accidental advocate
Michelle, Pippa and Rose then worked together on the ‘Justice Shouldn’t Hurt Campaign’ to lobby the government to make the court system better for child victims. After repeatedly telling their story, collecting tens of thousands of signatures and hounding politicians, the NSW Government invested $64 million in a program allowing child victims to give their evidence remotely in regional areas.
Under this system, children can prerecord their evidence for court hearings and have advocates with them when doing so, rather than sitting in the stands of a courtroom and being interrogated alone by aggressive lawyers.
“That experience — of pushing for change in a system that felt immovable — taught me something important: if you keep showing up, keep asking questions, and keep pushing for what’s fair, things can change,” Ms Milthope said.
“And along the way, I realised this wasn’t just about one issue. The cracks we saw in the justice system are the same ones we see in healthcare, housing, mental health, agriculture, and education. They all point to a deeper problem — regional communities like ours being left behind.
“If I can achieve what I have outside politics, imagine what I could do in parliament?”
On the campaign trail in Griffith with the election looming, her speech impressed one audience member in particular.
“I had to say to Mum, ‘I’m so proud of you’; it was like a mother-daughter moment, but reversed,” Rose said.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact:
Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support line – 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800 or kidshelpline.com.au
MensLine Australia – 1300 789 978.
