On this page
Australia’s national violence prevention organisation, Our Watch, has published a new opportunities paper outlining ways the NT Government can build on and strengthen work to prevent violence against women.
Our Watch released the Priorities for Prevention paper ahead of the NT election to guide the work and priorities of the NT Government moving forward.
Speaking in Darwin, Chief Executive Officer Patty Kinnersly said almost half of women in the NT have experienced violence since the age of 15.
“Violence against women in the NT is at alarming, unacceptable and disproportionately high rates,” Ms Kinnersly said. “Shockingly, it’s far higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Our Watch gave evidence to the recent coronial inquest in the NT. The inquest heard that at least 83 women have been killed by domestic violence in the NT since 2000 – 90% of them Aboriginal.
“Nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience violence at a rate three times higher than non-Indigenous women and are 11 times more likely to die from assault. These high rates are driven by the overlapping factors of racism, ongoing impacts of colonisation and sexism.
“Good work is already underway to prevent violence in the Territory but there is a clear opportunity to build on that work, including by developing a dedicated primary prevention strategy – which exist in other states,” Ms Kinnersly said.
The new paper outlines opportunities for:
- developing a dedicated primary prevention strategy
- a focus on preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children
- continuing plans for a phased roll-out of relationships education across all NT schools, building on work the NT Department of Education is already doing
- building the foundational systems to support primary prevention, included a dedicated skilled workforce
- delivering on the Territory’s existing commitments in primary prevention of violence against women.
Ms Kinnersly said the incoming NT Government has an opportunity to invest and build upon the primary prevention work underway in the NT, alongside early intervention, response, recovery and healing work.
“There is a real need for increased and sustained investment by all levels of government. One practical example of important primary prevention work in the NT is for the NT Government to commit to rolling out culturally appropriate Respectful Relationships Education in schools across the Territory. This prevents gender-based violence as it allows young people – and indeed the whole school community – to develop healthy relationships and stamp out the harmful stereotypes which give rise to gender-based violence.”
Ms Kinnersly also welcomed the new Government’s pledge to invest $180m over five years for domestic, family and sexual violence prevention, early intervention, response and healing. “We look forward to hearing more details on how this money will be allocated,” she said.
Opportunities for prevention of violence against women and children in the Northern Territory
Media contact
Please contact media@ourwatch.org.au or call 0448 844 930.
If you cover this story, or any story regarding violence against women and children, please include the following tagline:
1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family, and sexual violence counselling, information and support service. If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via www.1800RESPECT.org.au, or text 0458 737 732. Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491.
Access guides for reporting about violence against women and their children.
Our Watch
Our Watch is a national leader in Australia’s work to stop violence against women and their children before it starts. The organisation was created to drive nation-wide change in the practices, norms, and structures that lead to violence against women and children. Read more about Our Watch here.