NT ALP and CLP make election promise to fully fund the $180m domestic violence action plan - despite two year delay
A future Territory government will meet the bare funding requirements of a system in crisis, with both Labor and the CLP finally committing to meet a $180m five year funding package recommended by domestic violence advocates.
Politics
Don't miss out on the headlines from Politics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A $180m action plan to address the baseline needs of the Territory’s domestic violence sector has received bipartisan support, just three weeks out from the NT election.
Both the Labor Party and Country Liberals have committed to fully fund the second stage of the Domestic Violence Action Plan, both promising to meet the $180m funding recommendation over the next five years.
It comes two years since the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Interagency Coordination and Reform Office (DFSV ICRO) laid out the results of the mapping project, outlining the major shortfalls in the chronically underfunded frontline sector.
Domestic Violence minister Kate Worden made the surprise funding pledge at Saturday’s No More Violence rally in Darwin, promising that a re-elected Labor government would “absolutely make sure that it’s fully funded and that the services get the funding they need”.
Details remain limited over how $180m funding will be allocated over the next five years, with Chief Minister Eva Lawler saying on Monday that more information would be released this week.
Ms Lawler said despite “pestering” her federal counterparts for additional funding “they haven’t come good yet”.
It comes as opposition domestic violence spokeswoman Jo Hersey announced the CLP would match Labor’s commitment, also promising to fund the $180m five-year program for domestic, family and sexual violence prevention, early intervention, response and healing.
“The CLP is very concerned about escalating rates of domestic and family violence,” Ms Hersey said.
“The CLP will spend what is required to make the Territory a safe place to live, work and invest.”
Ms Hersey said crime statistics had shown a “staggering” increase in abuse over the past eight years, with NT Police crime statistics reporting 7827 domestic violence assaults in the 12 months to November 2023 — more than double the number of incidents in 2016.
But with the funding promises made two years after the 2022-2025 Domestic Violence Action Plan was meant to start, the CLP spokeswoman said: “Labor’s hollow promises are too little too late”.
Just six months ago neither party was willing to commit to the $180m five-year plan, with both sides baulking from the funding target 200 days out from the election.
NT Greens Nightcliff candidate Kat McNamara celebrated the major parties’ commitment, while acknowledging that the domestic violence sector had emphasised the $180m was the “bare minimum” of funding needed to address the scale of the crisis.
“We want to make sure Labor and the CLP are held to account, we want transparency to make sure the full $180 million goes to the sector in accordance with their needs and strategy, we can’t afford fancy accounting tricks here,” Ms McNamara said.
Ms McNamara said funding was “one part of the puzzle” to reduce family violence, which disproportionately impacted First Nations women and children.
“It will take ongoing work, funding, housing, community engagement, education and a long-term policy outlook to deliver justice to those who need it most,” she said.
Independent Johnston candidate Justine Davis also called for more details about the $180m commitment to ensure it was alighted with the recommendations from the expert report.
“Too often we see politicians announcing new money, which is just the same money packaged differently,” Ms Davis said.
The DFSV ICRO report recommended that Men’s Behaviour Change programs receive $33m, but according to internal government documents only a quarter of this funding was approved.
The documents also revealed that a $5m proposal for domestic violence court specialists received only $230,000 while funding for Aboriginal community led prevention initiatives received $700,000 rather than the recommended $3.85m.
Since 2000, almost four women a year have been killed in the Territory due to domestic violence — a homicide rate seven times higher than the national average.
More Coverage
Long standing military operation canned amid Asian ramp up
As Australia continues to build relations with militaries across the Asia-Pacific, the Department of Defence has quietly pulled troops from a Middle Eastern operation, coinciding with Canberra’s focus on the ‘near region’.
‘Highly volatile’: Union’s Christmas concerns for NT corrections staff
Despite a fresh injection of correctional officers, and more on the way, the United Workers Union’s NT secretary says existing officers, particularly in Alice Springs, will be working days up to 16 hours to cover shortfalls.