Closing the Gap for Indigenous Australians - Northern Territory - Family support package | Australian Government Department Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA)

Key Elements

The Australian Government has committed $9.8 million to support new and expanded safe houses and expanded child protection services.

Background

The Australian Government recognises that family violence and child protection issues, particularly in remote communities, are complex and require partnerships between governments and communities. The family support package has been implemented to:

expand and establish safe houses in large and remote communities;
establish a mobile child protection team; and
recruit Aboriginal family and community workers.

Safe houses provide safety for families and children experiencing violence and support them in breaking the cycle of violence. In the Northern Territory (NT), the Government has been working with communities to establish and expand safe houses in:

Alice Springs
Alyangula
Angurugu
Apatula
Darwin
Hermannsburg
Kalkarindji
Lajamanu
Maningrida
Nguiu
Ngukurr
Peppimenarti
Ramingining
Ti Tree
Pmara Jujunta
Beswick
Yarralin
Yuendumu

To address child protection concerns in remote communities, a mobile child protection team has been established and Aboriginal family and community workers now operate in 11 remote communities.

This measure provides a flexible and inclusive approach to working with Aboriginal communities to develop a responsive and relevant child protection service.

Implementation

This measure will be delivered in partnership with the NT Government.

Funding will be provided directly to the NT Government to manage all aspects of the operations of these services.

Total Government Funding

The Australian Government has committed total funds of $9.8 million over one year. Further activity will be informed by the outcomes of the Northern Territory Emergency Response review later this year.