Amber Irving-Guthrie ABC: It’s a subject that affects most of us in the Northern Territory, something we all feel and experience deeply.
The rates of domestic family and sexual violence in the Northern Territory is among the highest in the world not the country, the world. It’s estimated domestic violence costs the NT upwards of $600 million per year. Yet our sector receives just 1.8% of the national funding and today we learnt we would receive just 20 million over the next two years. It’s far short of what the industry expected. Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Minister Kate Worden announced the Northern Territory’s action plan today and this is what she had to say today.
Minister Kate Worden: It’s exciting to be able to launch Action Plan two under our ten year domestic and family violence prevention framework. This is an important document that has been developed with the sector to make sure that we are all heading in the right way and the right direction together with the sector and right the way across every other government agency. We need a change here in the Northern Territory. Domestic family and sexual violence is at horrific levels and we need to make sure that we are, as a government walking in step with the sector and delivering programmes and services that can make a difference on the ground. Action Plan two has initiatives in it right the way through corrections, Corrective services, where we can make sure we’ve got men’s behaviour change right the way through to ensuring that we continue to roll out our ramp training, which is for frontline services. And we’ve got then a consistent response, a continued consistent response to domestic and family violence.
AI-G: That’s Minister Kate Worden. However, the plan, which has more than 50 action points across both prevention and crisis, has faced strong criticism by experts in the sector. Sophie Hantz is a senior policy officer from NTCOSS and she spoke to me earlier about what is in the plan and also just what is needed here in the Northern Territory.
Sophie Hantz NTCOSS: There’s a lot of new initiatives in the plan that are really exciting initiatives ranging from prevention all the way through to healing things like the establishment of an Aboriginal led Prevention Initiatives Fund, which means there can be some community based Aboriginal led prevention programmes to change attitudes and challenge attitudes that condone violence against women. There’s a commitment to co-design an evidence based framework for programs for people who are using violence and to expand those programmes in prisons and in community settings There’s also a commitment to pilot a Co-responder model within NT police. So what that would mean was that is that NT police would partner with specialist workers.
AI-G: Well, this morning Dr Shae Brown called the action plan an insult actually to the sector. And she spoke with the ABC’s Jo Laverty earlier. And here’s what she said.
Dr Chay Brown: And everyone is happy to light a candle. But when it really comes down to it, women and children’s lives are worth more than this chickenfeed funding.
AI-G: So Dr Chay Brown had a number of different issues to bring up, but the funding was a big one, only $20 million. Now, considering such high rates of domestic violence in the Northern Territory, how do you feel about this reduced funding?
SH: You know, the amount of funding under this action plan, it is limited and it’s only two years. We know that it’s not enough and the sector is consistently advocating for more funding. I think that the coronial hearings, the coronial is looking at the deaths of four Aboriginal Territorian women at the hands of their partners have really illustrated the need for significant and urgent funding and investment over the long term. I think it is a shame that this action plan has less funding than we need, and I’m hoping that this action plan can be a good step to achieve the level of investment that we do need and that investment needs to come from both the NT Government and from the Federal government.
AI-G: What input did the sector have in developing this action plan in the first place?
SH: So the sector was consulted on the development of this action plan. Cost Facilitator consultations with the sector to feed into the Icru who was putting the plan together. Um, so there has been input and I think that is reflected in the action plan, even though the action plan is not everything that we asked for or wanted it to be.
AI-G: But do you feel like there was enough consultation? Do you feel like your voice was heard?
SH: I do think that there has been good listening to the sector, but I think, that it’s been heard that we need more and we need to see that in action. You know, we are aware that Minister Worden is advocating strongly to the Federal Government for the application of a needs based methodology so that we can receive funding from the Federal Government that reflects the need that we have in the Territory And that’s we’re really grateful for that. And I think that that’s been supported by advocacy from the Territory. But we also do need to see that funding coming from the NT Government. So while I think that our expertise has been taken on board, there’s more needs to come from that as well
AI-G: Sophie Hantz is with me, a senior policy officer from NTCOSS. We’re speaking about this Domestic Violence Action plan. It was announced today. Lots in. It will try to do our best to get what that actually means in tangible terms to you on ABC Radio Darwin. I read a really interesting quote and it was a bit around prevention of domestic violence and also healing for survivors and how those two things should be looked at. Do you think those aspects will be dropped off because of the lack of funding?
SH: I agree that the prevention and the healing piece is a really, important and I think there is emerging attention to those aspects of the trajectory. Um, and I think that, you know, whether or not they will drop off, I think that what we need to see is an increase in investment across the spectrum from prevention, early intervention, response and healing. Because when you increase activities around prevention, you increase community attitudes about domestic family and sexual violence, which then in turn increases the rates of reporting because people, you know, have a better understanding of what they might be experiencing. They have a better understanding of where they can access help. And so they you have an increase in reporting and an increase in the number of people seeking assistance. So as you increase prevention, you must also increase capacity of response services so that they can respond to that increased demand through the prevention efforts. And then the healing piece is so important and sometimes healing is called tertiary prevention because it’s a little bit like a circle. So when you increase the investment and the resourcing for that healing piece, you help people break that cycle. And by increasing that healing piece, you will then in the long run take the pressure off those other pieces of investment. So really what needs to happen is that the work and the investment across the entire spectrum needs to all.
AI-G: That was Sophie Hantz NTCOSS senior policy officer, speaking about the Northern Territory’s Domestic and Family Violence Action Plan. And if this conversation caused you any concerns, if it stressed you out, has caused you any distress, please reach out to 1800 Respect. It’s really handy number to save in your phone. 1800 737 732. That’s 1800 737 732.