The man, who cannot be identified, is facing a charge of assault with indecent intent and common assault in relation to the girl.

He's also charged with pursuing a course of conduct constituting economic abuse and one count of emotional abuse or intimidation in relation to his long-term partner.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Yesterday the man, who does not have a lawyer, chose to give evidence on day two of the hearing in the Launceston Magistrates Court.

He denied touching his then 17-year-old stepdaughter on the breasts and vagina outside her clothing.

"I say that's 100 per cent untrue your honour," he said.

Instead the girl had "snapped" after he told her to contribute more to running the house.

He admitted pointing a knife at her, which caused her to flee after he'd gone into the bathroom to smoke cannabis.

During cross examination, police prosecutor Kerryn Barwick asked why he'd initially told police that he'd asked the girl for sex.

At first he denied telling police this before intimating he'd told the officers several things that weren't true in order to protect family members.

The man said he couldn't recall telling police that he'd threatened to kill the girl or that she'd end up like missing German backpacker Nancy Grunwaldt, who is suspected to have been murdered.

On Monday the alleged victim told the court that the man said she'd end up like Ms Grunwaldt if she spoke about the abuse.

The man told the court, however, that he'd moved to Scamander just after Ms Grunwaldt disappeared from the area in March 1993. She remains one of the state's most infamous cold cases.

The accused told magistrate Simon Brown that he did not economically abuse his partner.

"Your honour, that one really hurts because I did everything I could to put food on the table," he said.