On Thursday 31 March the Northern Territory Parliament discussed the NT Gender Equality Plan 2022-2025. The Statement of Commitment which accompanied the Plan referred to the Women in Sport Committee, which “was established in 2017 to raise the profile of Northern Territory women in sport and promote gender equality in sport and recreation.”

The Northern Territory Government’s Gender Equality Plan 2022-2025 supports radical gender ideology and falls seriously short of protecting women and girls from discrimination.  

Welcome to a big year for the ACL Northern Territory family. Happy New Year! Amanda and I had a great break of about four weeks, and we are back on deck for what promises to be a significant year in the Territory and the nation.

With callous disregard for human life, the Northern Territory parliament has  legislated for abortion up until birth with no exceptions and with no community consultation.

Last week the NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman introduced the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Loss of Foetus) Bill 2021 (Zoe’s Law) into the NSW Parliament. It is an important step in recognising the preciousness of each life.

ACL’s Northern Territory Director (also Director for Qld), Wendy Francis, spent last week in Darwin and Palmerston.

Just before Christmas 2020, ACL supporters in Darwin joined other advocates and organisations to oppose the application for a giant Dan Murphy’s megastore-liquor barn within walking distance of three dry aboriginal communities.

The ruling Labor party was conspicuous by its absence from a diverse Candidate forum in Darwin on Tuesday night. Twelve candidates from the Greens, Country Liberal Party, Territory Alliance, and the Animal Justice Party accepted the Australian Christian Lobby’s invitation to the forum but not one Territory Labor candidate appeared, despite all being invited.

A staggering 84% of Territorians objecting to brothels in their neighbourhoods or rural areas wasn’t enough for the Gunner government to reject a two-person brothel system. Disregarding significant community concern, the NT Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has approved the two-person brothel model via a Planning Scheme Amendment to the Sex Industry Act, despite opposition from 101 out of 120 submitters to the Planning Commission.

Prostitution has always been a human rights violation.

Talk of prostitution and you’re likely to hear someone refer to it as the world’s ‘oldest profession’. Abolitionists however, who want to see an end to exploitation and trafficking refer to it as the world’s ‘oldest oppression’. Mind you, prostitution is not something that most people discuss in polite conversation. But talk about it we must, as the NT Government has released a law reform discussion paper on the NT Prostitution Regulation Act and they are asking for feedback from all Territorians on proposed changes that will normalize prostitution, brothels, and therefore, exploitation.