00:00It took Coroner Elizabeth Armitage over a year to investigate the deaths of Kuman Rabunja,
00:07Kumanjai Haywood, Nago Raghurk and Miss Eunapingu.
00:11Her report, I think, was an incredibly valuable resource for all of us across the country
00:16to think about how we can do better.
00:17But the report has attracted far less praise from the Northern Territory's Minister for
00:21the Prevention of Domestic Violence, who described the coroner's findings as underwhelming and
00:27told Parliament on Tuesday much of the work the report recommends has already been done.
00:3224 of the 35 recommendations made in the report related to programs or processes that were
00:41already in place.
00:43It's a claim the Deputy Opposition Leader says needs close scrutiny.
00:47Until she's able to actually physically show Territorians where they're being implemented,
00:53where they've been delivered and what funding has been allocated to absolutely implement
00:58those recommendations, people in the Territory will remain sceptical as they are right now.
01:03I really welcome the Northern Territory Government's commitment to a number of those recommendations.
01:09I think that while some of those things are in place, we know that there is room for improvement.
01:16One of those recommendations, the development of a domestic and family violence sector peak
01:20body.
01:22Minister Carl says that already exists because the government entered a five year agreement
01:26with the Northern Territory Council of Social Service in 2021.
01:30The organisation's CEO maintains that deal funds one staff member and that's not the same
01:36as establishing a peak body.
01:38We are a peak body but not for domestic, family and sexual violence and so we have one project
01:44officer who works on that.
01:47One two from the Northern Territory's legal fraternity today who say the Minister's comments
01:51undermine public confidence in the coroner and threaten the rule of law.
01:56The Criminal Lawyers Association of the NT going as far as saying the government's contempt
02:00for these principles should alarm every Territorian.
02:04The Bar Association adding the Minister's rhetoric ultimately does nothing to protect Territorians
02:09from domestic and family violence.
02:12Minister Carl maintains she has met with 62 stakeholders in the domestic violence sector in recent
02:17months and is working to improve programs with existing funding.
Comments