192 Except where I reject the evidence (i.e., Person 32), I take these matters into account in considering the allegations made by the respondents concerning the applicant's conduct as a member of the SASR.
193 With respect to the applicant's good character concerning his treatment of women, the applicant relies on the following evidence:
- (1) Mr Adam Veale is an accountant and a registered tax agent and a director of Alleviate Group which is an accounting firm based in Perth. He went to school with the applicant and has been his friend since 1993. He has been his personal accountant since about 2005 and he was his manager between 2012 and 2014 when the applicant was carrying on a business as a public speaker. Mr Veale said that the applicant had a reputation for behaving in a gentlemanly and respectful manner towards women;
- (2) Ms Sarah Kelly is an associate professor of law and marketing at the University of Queensland and occupies a number of community positions. She first met the applicant in 2013 when he commenced a course at the university. They are good friends. Ms Kelly said that she had never seen the applicant being aggressive with women and, to her observation, the applicant has at all times treated his wife with respect. She finds it hard to believe the allegation of domestic violence against the applicant;
- (3) Mr Anthony James Tremlett is an investment director at Argyle Capital Partners which he described as a manager of private investments by institutional investors and other investors in the Australian agricultural sector. He joined the Australian Army in 1996 and was a member of the SASR from 2003 to 2018. He first met the applicant in 1996 and is good friends with him. Mr Tremlett said that the applicant was not the kind of person who would hurt a woman. He treated his wife and daughters with respect and had the ability to control his emotions in very challenging circumstances;
- (4) Ms Deborah Rolfe AM is a partner of a Canberra law firm and holds community positions. She met the applicant in 2011 and has become a close friend of Ms Roberts. Mr Rolfe described the allegation of domestic violence against the applicant as outrageous and that he is not the kind of person to hit a woman. He has never lost control of his emotions and always treated women with absolute respect.
194 I take this evidence into account when assessing the allegations concerning Person 17.
Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited (No 41) [2023] FCA 555
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