Mandatory prison sentences for repeat domestic violence offenders reinstated

The Northern Territory government plans to bring back minimum mandatory prison sentences for people who repeatedly violate domestic violence orders. This decision aims to punish offenders who harm their victims. The Country Liberal Party (CLP) will introduce the bill to restore a seven-day minimum sentence. This law was removed by the previous Labor government in 2022 after a review said mandatory sentences were unfair. Currently, the Northern Territory has a high number of prisoners, with over 1% of the population incarcerated. Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby stated that the new law will have stricter penalties for offenders. If someone breaches a domestic violence order multiple times or causes harm, they will face jail time. The region has the highest rates of domestic and family violence in Australia, including a very high rate of intimate partner homicides. Some women's legal services are concerned about this decision. They believe it puts politics over women's safety and claim there was little consultation before the announcement. They argue that flooding prisons will not address the root causes of violence. Leaders from legal services say that past use of mandatory sentencing did not lead to successful rehabilitation and only increased prison populations. They also noted that adding more people to prisons would strain resources and hinder the government's ability to act on important recommendations from previous inquiries. Despite their concerns about mandatory sentencing, the women's legal services support a part of the new bill that improves how victims can access information about offenders. This would help victims, for example, if an offender on parole removes their electronic monitoring device.