Those on the front line dealing with domestic, family and sexual violence in the Northern Territory say they feel betrayed after the government unveiled just 20 million dollars in extra funding to combat the issue. It comes as one of Darwin's longest running domestic violence shelters says it needs to cut back.
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00:00 A tranquil scene for families escaping unimaginable horrors.
00:05 But Darwin's Dawn House is struggling to make ends meet.
00:09 In operational terms, you know, we've cut back fat as much as we can, so minimal use
00:14 of phones.
00:15 The NT government's funding for the centre hit by multiple efficiency dividends and savings
00:19 measures.
00:20 But it's got to the point now where I don't really have any more fat to cut back except
00:24 for staff, so I've started to do that.
00:27 The centre housed 328 women and children fleeing domestic violence in the last financial year,
00:32 but had to turn away 1,250 others.
00:35 A reality faced by many organisations battling domestic, family and sexual violence in the
00:40 NT, where there's the highest rates of harm in the country.
00:44 But it's an announcement of just $20 million in extra funding over the next two years for
00:48 the sector that has advocates worried.
00:51 When it was sort of seen that there should be $180 million committed over five years
00:56 to get everything that's needed, that's concerning.
00:59 They've reduced that down to $20 million over two years.
01:03 They have wasted our time with those consultations.
01:07 The minister tasked with unveiling the extra funding conceding it's not enough.
01:11 There's never enough.
01:12 We need a lot more than $10 million.
01:13 We have never ever said we don't.
01:15 But saying a tight budget is to blame.
01:18 $10 million was what we could get out of this current budget.
01:21 The NT government has been foreshadowing an announcement with the Commonwealth about needs-based
01:25 domestic violence funding.
01:26 But it appears the sector has lost patience.
01:29 We've been talking to them about that for years.
01:32 And what they say back is, "Here's this pocket change funding."
01:36 It's an absolute disgrace.
01:38 All the while, places like Dawn House have to make heartbreaking decisions.
01:42 It's really tough to turn people away.
01:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]