Less than a month away from the territory election, the NT government and opposition have announced promises to provide further funding towards frontline domestic violence services. However, the source of where additional funding will come from, remains unclear.
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00:00Small relief for a sector under strain.
00:05The anti-government promising $180 million over five years
00:10towards frontline domestic violence services if it wins the election.
00:15The opposition today matching that commitment.
00:18It is an election commitment.
00:20This isn't the work of government, this is an election commitment
00:23and that's what you get when you're one month out from election.
00:27More money for the sector is a long-standing demand from advocates.
00:31Rates of domestic violence in the NT are the highest in the country
00:35and the funding commitment is seen by some in the sector as just enough,
00:40considering the scale of the problem.
00:43$180 million is really the bare minimum.
00:45What we still need to talk about is long-term, needs-based,
00:49adequate funding for services that they can put towards
00:52their core service delivery.
00:54The government had already committed to $70 million over two years
00:58for anti-DV services.
01:00With today's announcement, they'll have to spend another $130 million
01:04over the next three years to fulfil the pledge.
01:08But it's unclear still where the money will come from
01:12and when any of the services will be rolled out.
01:15There is a domestic family and sexual violence framework.
01:18The $180 million that the sector's been calling for
01:21is about funding that framework.
01:23The opposition says it wants to go further than Band-Aid solutions.
01:28What we're more focused on is actually dealing with the root causes
01:31of the issue of domestic and family violence.
01:34The NT government says it'll release more details
01:37about its funding promise in the days to come.