Domestic Violence advocates fight for funding after 51-year-old woman’s body discovered at Todd River

‘This cannot continue’: Domestic violence advocates say a 51-year-old woman’s death in the ‘heart of Australia’ should evoke a national outcry over the rates of abuse in the NT.

NT Police have confirmed a 49-year-old man has been taken into custody after a 51-year-old woman was found unresponsive near the Todd River just after midnight on Monday morning.

UPDATE 3pm, Monday: Domestic violence advocates say the alleged killing of a woman in the heart of Australia should be a ‘catalyst for change’ to crippling abuse rates in the Northern Territory.

On Monday, NT Police confirmed a 51-year-old woman’s death in Alice Springs was being treated as a homicide, with her 49-year-old partner in custody.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley alleged the man called triple-0 at 12.20am to report a woman was unresponsive near the Todd River.

Charges are expected to be laid against him.

Mr Malley said first responders arrived within 11 minutes and started performing CPR, however the woman was soon declared deceased.

It was alleged a non-edged weapon was used in the incident preceding her death.

It is understood the woman was from the Haasts Bluff community, 227km west of Alice Springs, while her partner was from nearby Papunya.

On Monday, the new Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Robyn Cahill said the latest death was a “tragic incident”.

“I want to pass on my deepest sympathies to the victim’s family,” she said.

NT Police acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley. Picture: Supplied.

This is the first suspected domestic violence homicide in Australia for 2025.

“It’s horrible, it’s not what we wanted or expected,” Mr Malley said.

“We’ve built a lot of the work out there with the community.

“The prisons are full and overflowing and I expect that will have a follow on to the safety of the community, which is our focus.”

One of Australia’s leading domestic, family and sexual violence researchers, Chay Brown, said across the nation femicide rates were rising, with 101 women — including seven Territory women including a sistagirl — lost to domestic violence last year.

The Alice Springs-based expert said the latest alleged killing in the “heart of Australia” should become a “catalyst for change” amid horrific rates of violence both in the Territory and nationwide.

Gender-based violence specialist Chay Brown.

“This is a tragedy for all Australians, but will it receive the attention from all Australians? Or the attention it deserves?,” she asked.

“Too often the lives of Aboriginal women go unreported, unmourned and unseen, particularly by the broader general Australian public.

“We hold vigil after vigil, after vigil and there have been so many missed opportunities for change.

“This cannot continue, one life is too many and … we have lost the lives of so many Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory.“

Last year Territory coroner Elizabeth Armitage released 35 findings from Australia’s largest ever inquiry into domestic violence, investigating the killing of four Indigenous women by their partners.

With 87 Territory women lost to domestic violence since 2000 — 94 per cent of whom were Aboriginal — Ms Armitage stated “no further delay can be tolerated” to address “our horror and our national shame”.

Her core recommendation was for the $180m five-year Domestic Violence Action Plan’s mapping report to be fully funded to meet the “baseline” needs of the Territory.

Despite the CLP committing to providing the funding — just an average of $36m a year — Dr Chay said none of that money had been allocated to frontline domestic violence services.

Ms Cahill said the promised money was being delivered, stating: “programs are already seeing the benefits such as the new Circuit Breaker program which has produced amazing results”.

This is despite Circuit Breaker being a youth justice and child protection program not directly linked to domestic violence or being part of the Action Plan.

The new Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Robyn Cahill said the promised $180m in additional domestic violence funding was being delivered. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Despite the Territory coroner repeatedly highlighting the chronic underfunding of domestic violence services in the Territory, Ms Cahill has repeatedly called for an “audit” saying money would not be granted to programs “that clearly are not working”.

“We cannot keep delivering more of the same,” she said.

“We must make sure funding is spent on programs that deliver real outcomes, reducing the incidence of domestic violence and ensuring all Territorians are safe and supported.”

Dr Brown said calls for an audit were merely the government pushing for delays and “backtracking” from the needs of victim-survivors.

She said calls for an audit ignored the extensive work of the Interagency Coordination and Reform Office, which brought together domestic violence services with police, health, education, Territory Families and the Attorney-General’s office.

“We have the road map, we have the plan, they just need to work with us,” Dr Brown said.

“What we need the government to do is step up and fund it.”

“Ultimately we’re talking about life and death.

“Why are they sitting on their hands when it comes to the deaths of Aboriginal women and children in the Territory?

“Are they not Territorians? Do their lives not matter?”

UPDATE 11am, Monday: A woman’s death on the banks of the Alice Springs river is being investigated as a suspected domestic violence homicide, police confirm.

On Monday acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley confirmed investigators were treating the 51-year-old’s death near the Todd River as a homicide, with her 49-year-old partner in custody.

No charges have been laid.

Mr Malley said the man called police at 12.20am to report that his partner was unresponsive, with police arriving at the scene within 11 minutes.

It was alleged that a weapon was used in the fatal assault, but it was not an edged weapon.

Despite first responders conducting CPR on the woman, she was declared dead a short time later.

acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley confirmed investigators were treating the 51-year-old’s death near the Todd River as a homicide, with her 49-year-old partner in custody.

Mr Malley was unable to confirm if the man was known to police prior to the alleged fatal assault, or if the woman was long grassing at the time of the incident.

This is the first suspected domestic violence homicide in the Territory for this year, with seven women, including a sistagirl, allegedly killed in 2024.

“It’s horrible, it’s not what we wanted or expected,” Mr Malley said.

“We’ve built a lot of the work out there with the community.

“The prisons are full and overflowing and I expect that will have a follow on to the safety of the community, which is our focus.”

He confirmed that the co-response pilot program — which partners a domestic violence social worker with police — was currently active in Alice Springs.

INITIAL, 9am Monday: Police have established a crime scene after a woman’s body was found on the banks of the Alice Springs river.

NT Police have confirmed a 49-year-old man has been taken into custody after a 51-year-old woman was found unresponsive near the Todd River just after midnight on Monday.

It is alleged the 49-year-old man called triple-0 to report his partner was unresponsive at 12.20am.

Emergency services attended the scene, but the woman was declared dead a short time later while the 49-year-old was arrested at a nearby location.

“It is believed the woman is the 51-year-old partner of the man,” a police spokesman said.

As of Monday morning the crime scene remains active at the Todd River.

Detectives are urging anyone who has information to make contact on 131 444 or make an anonymous report to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, and quote reference P25012728.

More to come.

Originally published as Domestic Violence advocates fight for funding after 51-year-old woman’s body discovered at Todd River