Domestic violence workers criticise NT government's response to inquest into deaths of Aboriginal women

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3 days ago

Domestic violence prevention advocates have described the NT government's criticism of a landmark coronial report into the deaths of four Indigenous women as hurtful, disappointing and distressing.
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names and images of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families.
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage's final report into the NT's domestic violence epidemic was delivered in November last year.
Specifically, the coroner investigated the deaths of Kumarn Rubuntja, Kumanjayi Haywood, Ngeygo Ragurrk and Miss Yunupiŋu, with the inquiry taking more than a year.
Judge Armitage made 35 recommendations, including calls for increased funding for frontline emergency service responses, women's shelters and men's behavioural change programs.
When tabling the government's response on Tuesday, Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Robyn Cahill said the coroner's recommendations were overall "uninspiring", and said the report "failed dismally to hit the mark".
She said the government would support 21 recommendations in full, 11 in principle, and reject three.
She also claimed 24 of the 35 recommendations related to programs or processes already in place.
Domestic violence researcher Chay Brown, who was friends with Ms Rubuntja before she was murdered in front of Alice Springs Hospital, said she was saddened by Ms Cahill's comments.
"I feel very sad about it and I think that's because Kumarn Rubuntja was a friend and a colleague of mine," she said.
"She's dearly loved and incredibly missed and so to hear Minister Cahill describe the coronial inquest into her death as uninspiring, as failing to deliver, as being dismal — that was incredibly hurtful."
Dr Brown also said Ms Cahill's response had caused harm to the families of the four women.
"[They] gave so generously to that whole [coronial] process," she said.
"That's what has been forgotten, is that at the heart of the inquest were four women who were loved.
"Those four families … who travelled to Darwin, who spoke up, whose voices have been silenced because of the government response.
Dr Brown said she and the four families supported the coroner and appreciated the inquest process.
"I refuse to allow the process to be undermined by a few ill-thought-through words and hurtful comments in parliament that came about political point-scoring and shifting blame and taking cheap shots," she said.
"I refuse to let the process be undermined by that."
Ana Aitcheson, the chief executive of Darwin women's shelter Dawn House, said the government's response "came as quite a surprise" given the sector was initially hopeful the inquest would lead to genuine reform.
"We saw it as an opportunity for us to all truly work together and really create change in this space," she said.
In a joint statement, a group of frontline domestic, family and sexual violence services said none of them had been given notice the government planned to table its response to the coronial inquest on Monday.
NT Council of Social Services (NTCOSS) chief executive Sally Sievers said this meant family members of the deceased were unable to attend.
"There was no notice so those families couldn't be brought together," she said.
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Ms Sievers also said the sector was disappointed by an overall lack of consultation regarding the government's response to the coroner's report.
"We've got 35-odd members who work in this sector and they just haven't been part of this process," she said.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby insisted the government had been working with the sector.
"I do refute the allegation that we haven't been consulting with that sector," she said.
"Not only has Minister Cahill been out speaking to many of them over the last 11 months … I, too, meet with them."