As the dust settles on Australia’s largest coronial inquest into domestic violence killings in the Northern Territory, the focus is not on the suite of recommendations handed down by the coroner. But with the NT already more than 11 billion dollars in debt, advocates say a key question remains unanswered: where is the money coming from to implement these changes?
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00:00In the wake of a landmark inquest into domestic violence deaths, the calls for urgent funding
00:08grow louder.
00:09We need a lot more money, we need it now, not in six months, not in 12 months, we need
00:13it today.
00:14After examining the deaths of four Aboriginal women, Kumunjai Haywood, Kuman Rabunja, Miss
00:20Sunupingu and Ngega Rugurk, the NT coroner delivered 35 recommendations requiring a major
00:27boost in funding to put a stop to the crisis.
00:31Rates are so high here in the Northern Territory because our services have never been funded
00:36and resourced to tackle the problem adequately.
00:39The NT government says it's still deciding how to spend its $180 million in promised
00:45DV funding, while those in the sector say the time for waiting is over.
00:51It was absolutely set out how that money should be spent, so there's no excuse, there's no
00:55planning needed, it's there, it should be used and it should be used now.
00:59There's one thing where you can throw money at a situation, it's another to ensure that
01:03you're investing it where it's going to provide the best outcomes going forward.
01:07I'm just saying please, spend the money that you have, that you have been given, to the
01:12sector immediately and then of course, let's work on what needs to be done from there.
01:17Frontline workers say their calls for more funding to halt the NT's domestic violence
01:22rates have long fallen on deaf ears.
01:25The Commonwealth says it will continue to work with the NT government to address the
01:29crisis, but despite the coroner's key recommendation for more resourcing, neither the federal nor
01:35NT government would commit to releasing that level of funding on urgency.
01:40All eyes now on both governments to back up words with action.