Community safety

Protecting children and improving community safety is a high priority of the Australian Government.

What needs improving?

Though many people report feeling safer, anti-social and violent behaviour is still a concern in Territory communities. Alcohol abuse is a major contributing factor. The report of last year’s inquiry into child protection in the Northern Territory, Growing them stronger, together, revealed a system under extreme pressure unable to cope with the demands made on it.

What is being done?

Over the past four years major work has been undertaken to improve safety in communities, including measures to reduce alcohol abuse. Sixty-two additional police have been deployed, and police are located in 18 communities that formerly did not have a police presence. The work of the police is supported by 80 active night patrols and 22 operational safe houses. Crisis accommodation is available for more than 750 adults and 500 children. A Mobile Child Protection Team has dealt with more than 2700 cases, and Remote Aboriginal Family and Community Workers are operating in 12 communities, supporting child-protection workers.

In response to the Growing them stronger, together report, the Australian Government funded new services, including intensive support to help parents and carers nurture their children.

Other NTER measures have restricted sexually explicit or very violent material, and put controls on publicly funded computers to prevent people seeing such material.

Directions for the future?

The Government wants to maintain and build on the community-safety measures already in place, including the alcohol bans.

The Government wants to hear from Indigenous communities which services and protections work well, and how they could be improved.