The Northern Territory government will trial a specialised domestic violence court in Alice Springs to respond to extreme levels of violence against women and children.
The announcement has been welcomed by anti-domestic violence organisations, but they urged the government to pursue intervention and prevention strategies as well.
Calls for the specialist court – likely to involve specific training for judges and staff and processes to make the experience less traumatic for victims – increased last month after the release of a coroner’s report on the deaths of two Indigenous women.
Kwementyaye Murphy and Kwementyaye McCormack were both repeatedly physically assaulted by their partners before their deaths. Murphy was murdered by her partner. Police never charged anyone in relation to McCormack’s death, but following Cavanagh’s report police reopened the investigation.
The specialist court is in the proposal stages, but it will eventually begin with a trial in Alice Springs, which has among the highest rates of domestic violence in the country.
“We’re really keen to get that moving,” the families minister, Dale Wakefield, told the ABC.
“At this stage what we think the best thing to do is spend the time making sure the design of the process is right and making sure everyone is consulted, and that’s probably much more important than setting a timeline at this stage.”
Specialist family violence courts already exist in a number of states, including Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
The Making Justice Work coalition of peak bodies in the Northern Territory had called for specialist and therapeutic courts before the Territory election in August. Labor, as well as a number of independent candidates, gave its support.
Coroner Greg Cavanagh found during his inquiry into the deaths of McCormack and Muprhy that domestic violence in Indigenous communities was “literally out of control”.
“As a local court judge I witness it most days. As the coroner I see the terrible lives these women endure and their horrifying deaths,” he said.
Among his recommendations, Cavanagh urged police to pursue the introduction of body cameras for officers, and for the courts to prioritise and speed up the processing of domestic and family violence cases.
The attorney general, Natasha Fyles, at the time told Guardian Australia the government was considering specialised courts and legislative changes to allow body camera footage to be used as evidence.
On Tuesday the Alice Springs Women’s Shelter (ASWS) called for the NT government to make Cavanagh’s recommended changes “as a matter of urgency”.
“Yes domestic violence is out of control, the justice system doesn’t adequately protect women, and yes there needs to be new approaches,” the shelter’s chief executive, Di Gipey, said.
“But the big questions are when will the coroner’s recommendations be put in place and when will our governments and the wider community accept we are already paying far too high a price by not acting or dragging our heels.”
Gipey said the criminal justice system could not be solely relied upon to protect women and children from violence, and alternative intervention strategies also remained a priority.
“Frontline services such as ASWS working in partnership with police, health and community organisations have a proven role to play in preventing violence and making sure women and children are safe,” she said.
“But our programs often face an insecure future due to the short-term nature of some government funding.”
Only one position at the shelter had guaranteed funding beyond June next year, she said.
The minister for children and families has been contacted for comment.
