There remain unacceptably high levels of violence in many communities in the Northern Territory. Where a police presence has been established as part of the Emergency Response there has been an increase in the number of domestic violence incidents reported. This indicates that there has previously been a level of under reporting.
Alcohol and drugs: Alcohol is often a factor in domestic violence. The Review Board recommended that restrictions on alcohol in prescribed areas be maintained and improved. Both governments recognise that alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory needs to be reduced, and the Northern Territory Government has agreed to take further practical steps to reduce alcohol supply in such areas as Alice Springs and Katherine.
Alcohol restrictions developed jointly by the Northern Territory Department of Justice and representatives of local communities operate in the East Arnhem area, including the township of Nhulunbuy, and other areas of the Territory. Since March 2008 the East Arnhem alcohol management plans have targeted alcohol related health and social issues, alcohol related offending and anti-social behaviour.
To support the alcohol restrictions in prescribed areas, the Australian Government is funding alcohol and other drug treatment and rehabilitation services for a further three years. The aim is to reduce the demand on services (e.g. building the capacity of services and more health promotion and community education) and to provide for harm reduction (e.g. through increased capacity of sobering up shelters).
Funding for training, infrastructure and referral pathways will enable service providers to better deal with associated mental health issues.
The two governments are also working together to address community concerns about the current signage used to indicate where alcohol is banned.
Police: The Australian and Northern Territory Governments are working together to develop and implement an appropriate standard for remote police services. A joint review will help to establish a reasonable and sustainable police resourcing level for remote Indigenous communities. The review will make recommendations on: policing levels and deployment in remote communities; redirection of existing resources where appropriate; and implementation timeframes. The completion date for the joint review is December 2009.
To continue its commitment to the protection of vulnerable people, the Australian Government is funding the Northern Territory Government ($156.6 million over three years) to maintain the increased police numbers in prescribed areas.
The Australian Government’s existing commitment to provide up to 66 Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers to supplement Northern Territory Police resources will continue in 2009-10. From 2009-10 there will be funding for the Northern Territory Government to expand its police force to transition from use of AFP in the remote stations to full Northern Territory Police staffing.
The Northern Territory Government has committed to expand opportunities for Indigenous people to enter the police force and to increase the presence of police women and sworn Indigenous police officers in remote communities. This will reduce the current over-reliance on Aboriginal Community Police.
The Australian Government is funding the construction of five permanent police stations to replace existing temporary structures while continuing to support the remaining temporary stations. The five new permanent police stations to be constructed will include multipurpose justice facilities, such as court facilities, and staff housing for police officers.
The Australian Government has agreed to fund the Australian Crime Commission’s National Indigenous Violence and Child Abuse Task Force for an additional year.
Night Patrols: The Australian Government will continue to support night patrol services in the 73 NTER communities and in an additional eight communities outside prescribed areas.
Legal assistance: Both governments recognise that the extra law-enforcement resources have impacted on the justice system. To help meet additional needs, the Australian Government is providing $7.6 million over three years for Indigenous legal assistance services and $1.7 million over three years for the Aboriginal Interpreter Service.
The Australian Government is also providing $3.0 million over three years to continue the Welfare Rights Outreach Project providing Indigenous people with better access to expert legal advice around income-management issues.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s work on the NTER will continue. The Government has committed additional funding of $3.3 million over four years from 2008-09 to support the Ombudsman’s continued involvement in the NTER. This takes the Government’s total commitment to this activity over the four years from 2008-09 to $3.5 million. The Ombudsman’s office handles complaints about Australian Government agencies, and helps to identify and resolve systemic issues concerning the delivery of programs to Indigenous communities.
Interpreters: Professional interpreter services facilitate the interaction between government and Indigenous people. The Australian Government is providing $8.0 million to the Northern Territory Government to enable increased usage of trained Aboriginal interpreters in the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory Aboriginal Interpreter Service (AIS) is already working with Australian Government agencies and communities. The AIS will engage recruitment liaison officers to assist in the recruitment and training of interpreters and provide ongoing mentoring and support.