Aboriginal health services call for $180m domestic violence funding to be urgently rolled out

A peak body representing Aboriginal health services in the NT says the government must ‘move beyond lip service’ to end the DV scourge which has claimed the lives of eight Territorians in less than six months.

Kumarn Rubuntja and Ngeygo Ragurrk are two of four Aboriginal women killed in domestic violence incidents whose deaths were examined in a landmark coronial inquest. Findings from the inquest will be released on Monday in Alice Springs.

Community groups are calling for the government to fulfil its $180m commitment to tackle the devastating rates of domestic violence in the Northern Territory.

Peak body Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT said the government needed to “move beyond lip service” and take immediate action against the scourge which has claimed the lives of eight Territorians in less than six months.

It comes ahead of the Territory coroner handing down her findings next week from a landmark, months-long inquiry into the deaths of four Aboriginal women at the hands of their partners.

AMSANT chief executive Dr John Paterson. Picture: Esther Linder

“The NT has the highest rates of domestic violence in the country and this inquest has once again exposed the catastrophic extent of that crisis,” AMSANT chief executive John Paterson said.

“For years, frontline services have pleaded for adequate funding to address service gaps, but they remain stretched beyond capacity, facing nothing but empty promises and unable to plan or budget for the future.”

Before the election both major parties promised $180m over five years to fully fund the second stage of the NT’s Domestic Violence Action Plan, following years of advocacy from the sector.

“Yet, since taking office, the CLP government has provided no details on how this critical funding will be delivered,” Dr Paterson said.

“Our communities and those working on the frontline simply cannot afford more government inaction. We urge the NT government to reaffirm its commitment to this funding and provide a clear plan for how it will be allocated to address the overwhelming demand for services.

“Enough is enough. Family violence is preventable, but it requires our leaders to move beyond promises and deliver the resources frontline services need to make a difference.”

Since June, eight people have been killed in alleged domestic violence attacks in the NT; six women, one sistergirl and one man – all of them Indigenous.

Another woman assaulted at a Tiwi home in July also remains in critical condition on life support.

Research published by the Australian Institute of Criminology last month revealed 473 Indigenous women had been killed in Australia between 1989-90 and 2022-23.

First Nations women killed in Australia since 1989. Four out of 5 deaths were DV homicides.

Almost a third of them were in the NT, despite the Territory being home to just 7.5 per cent of Australia’s Indigenous population.

Nationally 69 per cent of the deaths were intimate partner homicides, and 12 per cent were other domestic homicides.

Indigenous women are up to seven times more likely to be homicide victims compared with the national average.

DV Prevention Minister Robyn Cahill said there was an absolute commitment to allocate the $180m where it is most needed. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Robyn Cahill said the government was “absolutely committed” to allocate the $180m where it was needed, and expected announcements to be made with more specifics in early 2025.

“There is a broad consultation being undertaken across all departments,” she said.

“This will then guide how funding is allocated to ensure this broken system has the best chance of delivering the right outcomes.

“As a government, we have to ensure we are putting this money to the programs which work best to prevent domestic and family violence.

“This is a critical piece of work, and we anticipate announcements can be made early in the new year.”

During the domestic violence coronial inquest, evidence of coercive control, extreme violence and systemic failures highlighted repeated missed opportunities by government agencies to prevent each of the four women’s deaths.

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage is expected to recommend increased and indexed funding for domestic violence services when she releases her findings on Monday in Alice Springs.

Originally published as Aboriginal health services call for $180m domestic violence funding to be urgently rolled out