NT puts more funds towards combatting domestic violence

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The NT opposition says tougher bail laws are needed to clamp down on serious reoffending after another incident on Darwin City street. It comes as the government puts in more money to combat domestic violence.

Transcript

00:00 At this store in Darwin City, patience has run out.

00:05 As women who own businesses, I've never felt so unsafe.

00:11 And I've had enough.

00:13 Yeah, not good enough.

00:14 The store owner of 11 years left shaken after one of her workers was attacked on the way

00:20 to her car.

00:21 She was caught by surprise.

00:22 They were behind a car.

00:24 They pulled her hair, pushed her to the ground and began to beat her basically.

00:29 The brave actions of a bystander praised with scaring the alleged attackers away.

00:34 She's very, she feels unsafe.

00:37 It's attacks like these that have the opposition on the offensive, debating new bail laws in

00:42 Parliament this afternoon.

00:43 It's about making sure that people who have no respect for the law or the safety of others

00:48 in our community are not set free.

00:50 The Police Minister argues the COP's plans to expand a presumption against bail for serious

00:55 offences are already covered by existing laws.

00:58 Police have very much assured me that where a rock or a vehicle for example is used in

01:04 the commissioning of crime, then that it can be considered a weapon.

01:07 The Police Minister doesn't know how to do her job.

01:10 And one expert says punitive approaches, while popular, aren't as effective as early intervention

01:16 and prevention.

01:17 Removal of the presumption for bail is just another added layer of complexity that your

01:21 average member of the community doesn't fully understand.

01:25 While the opposition is laser focused on bail reform, the government this morning announced

01:29 an extra $20 million would be poured into domestic violence services.

01:34 And while any extra funding is welcome for a sector crying out for resources, even the

01:39 NT government admits that won't go far without needs-based funding from Canberra.

01:43 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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