The Territory Labor Government and Aboriginal and community sector leaders have today signed a ground-breaking Agreement to deliver a safer community and better justice outcomes for Aboriginal Territorians.
The Aboriginal Justice Agreement (AJA) is the first of its kind in the Territory.
The AJA seeks to create a safer Territory by reducing crime and address the Territory's high rates of Indigenous incarceration and reoffending.
The seven-year agreement has three key aims covering services, leadership and systems:
• Reduce reoffending and imprisonment rates of Aboriginal Territorians to reduce crime;
• Engage and support Aboriginal leadership; and
• Improve justice responses and services for Aboriginal Territorians
Actions from the Agreement are strongly focused on community-level initiatives including supporting and establishing local law and justice groups, re-introducing community courts, continuing alternatives to custody and redesigning and expanding access to programs that address the root causes of offending.
The Territory Labor Government has invested $4.52 million to implement actions in the first year of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement.
As part of the AJA, the Government will continue to work on sentencing reform to build a simpler and more effective approach for a safer Territory.
These reforms will ensure there are more sentencing options that are better targeted to appropriately address offending behaviour and prevent reoffending.
The AJA has been developed in partnership between Government, Aboriginal Organisations and NGOs.
Over three years, more than 160 community consultations were undertaken to deliver the AJA.
The AJA will also be launched in Alice Springs and Kalkarindji later this month.
All individuals and organisations are now able to sign up to the AJA.
