A coalition of community services are calling for youth justice reform that strengthens community safety by investing in what A coalition of frontline domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) services has responded to today’s tabling of the NT Government’s official response to the Coroner’s inquest into the deaths of Miss Yunupiŋu, Ngeygo Ragurrk, Kumarn Rubuntja and Kumanjayi Haywood.
The response, tabled without notice, meant many of the people who gave evidence—families, friends, colleagues and frontline workers—were not given the chance to be present. This was a moment that should have honoured the lives of women who were killed, and the strength of those who spoke up in the hope of saving others.
The coalition acknowledges the government’s recognition of the DFSV crisis and its investment in specific initiatives. But the overall response remains underwhelming in the face of the Northern Territory’s biggest criminal issue.The vast majority of people incarcerated in the NT are there for DFSV-related offences. Yet the services best placed to prevent this violence—community-based, specialist, trauma-informed programs—continue to be overlooked.
This is about more than programs. It’s about a system that is currently failing women and children, and the urgent need to redesign it alongside the people who know what works. That cannot happen without proper partnership.
The Government’s ongoing lack of genuine consultation with the specialist DFSV sector is creating missed opportunities, poor coordination and unsafe outcomes. As a result, more victim-survivors are slipping through the cracks. More families are being torn apart. More women are dying.
Poverty, housing stress, overcrowding, underfunded services, and lack of access to interpreters and supports are not side issues. They are the conditions in which DFSV occurs—and the reasons people can’t find safety. Until these conditions are addressed, the NT will remain one of the most dangerous places in Australia to be a woman.
Gaps that remain:
- No Territory-wide DFSV workforce strategy
- No long-term indexed core funding for specialist services
- No coordinated sector plan across justice, housing, health & child protection
- No resourcing for Aboriginal-led governance or system design
If the NT Government wants to support victims, it must support the services that walk with them every day. Real safety will only come with real reform—led by the sector, shaped by community, and backed by long-term investment.
“We need Yolŋu-led, community-driven solutions. We know what works for our people — support that is grounded in culture, language, and respect. Government services must listen to us and work with us, not over us. If you want real change, invest in our women, support our organisations, and walk with us — not just today, but for the long road ahead.”
Bettina Danganbarr, Chairperson & Cofounder, Galiwin’ku Women’s Space
“Young people in the NT are growing up surrounded by systems that respond too late or not at all. If we want to stop the cycle, front-line specialist services need to be sufficiently funded so that no family is turned away.”
Rachael Uebergang, NT General Manager, YWCA Australia
“Our workers are doing crisis work, therapeutic work, case management, court support, housing advocacy—all while training the next generation and helping communities heal. But we can’t keep doing more with less. We need a system that backs us.”
Ana Aitcheson, CEO, Dawn House
“The families who participated in the inquest gave everything in the hope that no one else would have to suffer what they did. Now it’s up to the Government to honour that—by resourcing Aboriginal-led responses and embedding community control into every layer of the system.”
Dr Chay Brown, Family Violence Prevention Division Manager, Tangentyere Council & Managing Director, Her Story
“Aboriginal families are living with the impacts of violence, poverty and systemic failure every day. We see it in the courts, in homes, and in the gaps between services. Real safety means resourcing culturally strong, community-based legal and support services that walk with families—not just respond after harm is done.”
Cindy Torrens, CEO, North Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Service (NAAFLS)
“The Attorney-General’s report is a step—but it’s not the whole solution. Without coordinated system reform, without a stable workforce, without sustained funding for the services already doing the work, more lives will be lost. We can’t let that happen.”
Sally Sievers, CEO, Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS)
Contact: Morgan Rickard 0491 811 233 media-sectorsupport@ntcoss.org.au