Perpetrators of violence need to be held accountable for their actions. Support should also be made available to help perpetrators end their violence. The Council emphasised that perpetrators of violence need to take responsibility for their actions. The Council recommended urgent action is taken to progress research regarding the effectiveness of perpetrator treatment programs;26 develop and test a program tailored for perpetrators serving custodial sentences;27 and, establish cooling-off places for men in remote communities.28
Over the past two years, the Government has invested almost $22 million into the Northern Territory Emergency Response Family Support Package to fund nine cooling-off centres for men, 22 safe houses for women and their children, and provide ten staff to support a Mobile Child Protection Team. The Government has also invested $17 million this year for 69 Night Patrol Services which support 73 remote communities, and $6 million for 63 additional police in the Northern Territory.
In addition, the Government will invest $3 million to support research on perpetrator treatment programs and the greater harmonisation of Federal and State and Territory laws. The perpetrator treatment research will be designed in consultation with the States and Territories and experts in the treatment field. In the longer term, such research will be conducted in partnership with the States and Territories, including through the National Centre of Excellence.
The Government will discuss the place of perpetrator treatment programs in prisons with the States and Territories when Time for Action is considered by COAG.