NT Domestic violence action plan ‘not finalised’ in wake of killings

Two women and an baby have been lost to domestic violence in three days, yet the NT is without an action plan to tackle this scourge.

THE Northern Territory does not have an action plan to tackle domestic violence in the wake of losing three lives in three days to family violence.

Social services have called the rate of violence in Territory homes a “crisis”, with one Darwin shelter alone turning away up to 20 families a week.

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Prevention Minister Kate Worden has committed a further $5.7 million in grants to community-based services, but warned the Territory needed 18 times its current funding from the Federal Government to meet the needs of the sector.

“If you’re a woman in the Northern Territory you are six times more likely to be murdered in a domestic family and sexual violence situation than you are anywhere else in Australia,” Ms Worden said.

Yet, her department has yet to release a critical second stage strategy under its 10-year violence prevention framework.

NT Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Prevention Minister Kate Worden.

The Northern Territory Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Framework Action Plan 2 Discussion Paper was released last year for feedback, with submissions closing on 3 September.

Ten months later and the second action plan has yet to be publicly released. The NT News understands the plan will not be publicly released until 2023.

The 2022-25 plan was meant to map out the next three years of funding, programs and reforms to reduce domestic, family and sexual violence.

“Change is generational and requires ongoing commitment, investment and monitoring,” the discussion paper said. “It is acknowledged that progress on this action is behind, and that an evaluation framework is critical to the success of the reforms.”

The discussion paper said the next stage would take stock, evaluate and build on successful projects from the $6.49 million in funding from 2018.

Critically the 2022 draft plan allocated no additional funding until the consultation was complete.

“(Once) priorities for Action Plan 2 become clear, government agencies will consider what can be achieved with existing funding and what future funding may be needed,” it said.

The proposed changes included reforms to the governance of service systems, prioritising the voices of domestic violence survivors, and greater integration and information sharing to protect victims.

On Thursday, Territory Families said 49 organisations provided feedback on the discussion paper over six months.

“While the overall action plan is being finalised, key priorities are already being delivered,” a department spokesman said.

Despite the action plan not being completed, Ms Worden announced an additional $5.7m for primary prevention, specialist services and new grants for early intervention programs on Thursday.

Ms Worden said the grants came in the wake of a “heartbreaking week”, after a woman and baby from Central Australia and a Katherine woman were lost to domestic violence.

Ms Worden said federal funding models meant the sector was “doing this work with one hand tied behind our backs”

“At the moment we’re funding on population. — 1 per cent of over $150m is coming to the Northern Territory,” she said.

Ms Worden said to address the scale of violence this would need to jump to 18 per cent of the federal funding pool, equivalent to an additional $8m a year “to start funding things under our framework”.

“That would just be the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Federal Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth . Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Ms Worden said funding debates would be brought up at the national Women’s Safety meeting in Adelaide on Friday, July 22.

The Northern Territory Council of Social Service also called for needs-based funding calling the rate of violence a “crisis”.

“The federal government funding for domestic, family and sexual violence needs to reflect the size of the problem in the NT - not the size of the population,” NTCOSS said.

Federal Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the meeting would finalise the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-32.

“The Government is working closely with states and territories, women’s safety experts and victim survivors to make sure investment in women’s safety goes where it is of greatest need,” she said.

Originally published as NT Domestic violence action plan ‘not finalised’ in wake of killings