The Northern Territory government is considering coercive control laws to reduce domestic violence

The Northern Territory has the highest rates of domestic violence in the country which has been laid bare in a new report. We reveal how the changes could save lives.

THE Territory has the highest rates of domestic violence in Australia but this could change if proposed coercive control laws get off the ground.

A new report released for public consultation by the Fyles government considers the barriers to justice for domestic and family violence victims and survivors.

The Review of Legislation and the Justice Response to Domestic and Family Violence in the NT proposes systematic reforms, including potentially criminalising coercive control.

Its release follows the suspected domestic violence murder of an Alice Springs woman and her 14-week-old baby in July.

The report tells a harrowing story, revealing 160 people have been killed in the NT since 2000 by family members, 101 of those were by current or former partners.

It also showed 63 per cent of those in Territory jails were held on domestic-family violence charges, and almost three quarters of those will go on to reoffend once released.

“Despite the best efforts of many professionals, the system as a whole is not effective in breaking the cycles of abuse,” the report said.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

Last week, Australia’s state and territory Attorneys-General agreed to create a national plan to address coercive control after meeting with federal counterpart Mark Dreyfus.

According to the report, courts have focused on “individual incidents of physical violence” and neglected the cumulative harm related to psychological abuse.

“By making coercive control more visible and clearly defined in the justice system, DFV victim-survivors may feel more confident to report abuse,” the report said.

“Proponents of criminalising coercive control believe that it is an important step towards realigning the justice response with people’s lived experience of this type of offending.”

Previously the Central Australian Women’s Legal Service has argued addressing coercive control has “the potential to make a significant different in reshaping how institutions identify and respond to family violence”.

The report also addresses a need for first responders to be skilled in identifying coercive control and simplify consent procedures for body worn camera evidence.

NT Attorney-General Chansey Paech. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Territory Attorney-General Chansey Paech said the review was an integral part of the reform process to reduce domestic and family violence.

“Interagency co-ordination is the key to improving the safety of victim-survivors and holding offenders to account for their conduct, including coercive control,” he said.

“Proposals outlined in this review paper are a road map towards a modernised legal and justice system that will help to reduce domestic and family violence.”

The report recommends a series of systematic changes including a 24-hour domestic violence task force, new training for police and legislative reform.

In order to make the recommendations the paper compiled best practice from other jurisdictions in Australia after recognising Territory laws had not been reformed for more than 15 years.

It considers the exhaustive work of the Queensland Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce that received more than 700 submissions.

Around 500 were from those with experience of domestic violence.

However, while the report recommends criminalising coercive control, it said “system-wide reform was necessary” first.

Territory Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Kate Worden said too many women had been harmed, and too many lives had been lost.

“The immediate harm and generational trauma caused by domestic and family violence is a shameful blight that casts a dark shadow right across the Territory. It has to change,” she said.

“We know this is a mammoth task that will require all hands on deck; (but) these reforms are the next step on our quest for a better, safer Territory.”