Territory Families Minister Kate Worden has downplayed the role alcohol plays in domestic violence during a heated debate in Parliament, which comes amid the Federal Government reportedly seeking an “urgent” meeting with the Fyles Government over their decision not to extend alcohol bans covering more than 400 remote Aboriginal communities and outstations across the NT.

Ms Worden told Parliament on Tuesday morning that the government was focussed on young people and bringing about “cultural, institutional and individual” change, saying that simply “attacking the issues of alcohol misuse” would not bring about the change needed.

“It is extremely important to remember that alcohol is not a driver of domestic, family and sexual violence,” she said. “What alcohol does is to increase the severity of violence and hospitalisation.”

She said more federal funding was needed to combat the scourge of domestic violence in remote communities and to remain focused on young people “to reduce violence rates for future generations”.

“$150 million is invested by the Federal Government – we get one per cent, that’s $1.5 million a year. It’s not even a single drop in a bucket,” Ms Worden said.

“We also get a $400,000 loading for remoteness. Anybody in this chamber that understands the cost of delivering services to remoteness has to understand that is just not enough.”

Independent MLA Robyn Lambley shot back at Ms Worden over her claims that restricting alcohol misuse would not help reduce domestic violence, calling the decision to not extend alcohol bans “outrageous and irresponsible”.

“When we talk about domestic and family violence in the Northern Territory, it goes hand-in-hand with alcohol,” she said.

“Grog is at the centre of all these problems throughout the Northern Territory … Minister Worden, make no mistake.

“Rolling back the alcohol bans and restrictions across more than 400 Aboriginal living communities, town camps and outstations across the Northern Territory as of the 16th of July 2022 is the most outrageous, irresponsible act I have ever witnessed.”

Ms Lambley said alcohol-fuelled domestic violence in Central Australia was out-of-control, which she said made her feel “beaten down and weak” because the Fyles Government “failed to recognise the brutality and danger of alcohol”.

“Every day [in Alice Springs] we are subjected to the problems of alcohol – the misery, the violence, the crime, the poverty, the child abuse and neglect, the chronic diseases, the lack of opportunity. And yet we hear in this chamber it has nothing to do with alcohol.

“You are allowing countless thousands of women and children and elderly people to be subjected to alcohol because of your ignorance and lack of understanding of where we live in the Northern Territory.”

The Australian reported that federal Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney is seeking an urgent meeting with Chief Minister Natasha Fyles about concerns federal Labor has over the grog bans not being extended, which effect about 7000 Territorians.

It comes amid spikes of domestic violence incidents which police pegged at 54 cases in a 48-hour period after the ban was lifted and a 300 per cent increase in alcohol sales reported by one liquor outlet in Alice Springs.

Ms Fyles has said the blanket bans that were brought in after the Intervention in 2007 were “raced-based policy targeting Aboriginal Territorians” and that the so-called Stronger Futures legislation passed earlier this year would give communities the right to make their own decisions around alcohol.

“Aboriginal communities have the same right as every other community to make decisions in the best interests of their own people,” she said. “This is the true path to building strong communities and strong futures – not racist policies like the Intervention that targeted and criminalised Aboriginal communities.”

However, Aboriginal organisations, welfare and justice groups have condemned the Fyles Government for failing to consult before lifting the grog bans.