Northern Territory

The Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination in certain settings on the grounds of any designated attribute, including sex, sexuality, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, breastfeeding, gender identity, and sex characteristics. The settings in which discrimination based on a designated attribute is prohibited include: education, work, accommodation, provision of goods, services and facilities, clubs, and insurance, and superannuation.

The appellant Barry Carne was formerly in a relationship with L.S., the victim and the mother of his four children.  One day Carne entered L.S.’s home without consent, destroyed property, and confronted L.S..  During the altercation he grabbed and twisted L.S.’s right hand and fingers, causing her to fall in pain.

Following significant reforms introduced by the Criminal Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences) Act 2023, sexual offences in the Northern Territory are now governed by Part VIA of the Criminal Code Act 1983. Consent is defined as a person’s free and voluntary agreement to sexual activity.

The Domestic and Family Violence Act 2007 (NT) empowers the Magistrates’ Court to issue orders for the protection for victims of domestic violence.  A domestic violence order may impose restrictions on the ability of the person whom the order is against to contact, use violence against, damage the property of, threaten, stalk or harass the victim.

In 2009, a female employee made a formal complaint regarding improper conduct in the workplace, including continuous inappropriate and derogatory comments, by a Northern Territory Police Force member to whom she was a personal assistant, Bert Hofer.

The Termination of Pregnancy Law Reform Act 2017 (the Act) in the Northern Territory was enacted to reform and modernize abortion laws, significantly improving access to abortion services and prioritizing women's health and autonomy. The Act allows for abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation on the advice of a single medical practitioner, who must consider the woman's physical, psychological, and social circumstances.

The complainant, a 32-year-old nurse, woke up to the sound of someone breaking into her house in the early hours.  She screamed and struggled for 20 minutes as the perpetrator attempted to have sexual intercourse with her, eventually succeeding.  The victim managed to call the police as the perpetrator was masturbating, which caused the perpetrator to flee the scene.