Custody notification services to commence in South Australia and expand in the Northern Territory and Victoria

Media release - The Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP - Minister for Indigenous Australians

The Australian Government is investing $2.4 million over three years to establish a new Custody Notification Services (CNS) in South Australia from 1 July 2021, and is increasing funding for the Northern Territory and Victoria services by more than $724,000.

Custody Notification Services are a 24/7 phone-line that police must call when an Indigenous person is brought into custody. The service complements the broader work the Government is undertaking to address drivers and reduce the rates of Indigenous incarceration.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, said the CNS provides culturally-safe health and welfare checks and offer basic legal advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as they come into contact with the justice system.

“With contemporary knowledge of police processes and experience in providing crisis support, Custody Notification Services delivered by Aboriginal Legal Services are a proven way to reduce the risk of a death occurring in custody,” Minister Wyatt said.

“I thank the South Australian Government for taking the significant step to legislate this critical, life-saving service and the additional protections that it brings.

“The Australian Government is proud to support the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement which will operate the new CNS and offer the holistic and culturally-safe welfare support to Indigenous South Australians.

“We’re also boosting our support for existing services in the Northern Territory and Victoria to address surge in demand for their services arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. In Victoria, the staff that run the CNS have had more than their fair share of personal challenges this year while also dealing with an increased demand of their services.

“As the region’s leading legal service provider to Indigenous Australians, the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service will receive $455,000 to hire additional staff to respond to the increase in cases, and provide some respite for their staff who have been working to maintain the 24/7 legal and welfare support services.

“This is in addition to funding already provided to support the CNS in Victoria through to 2023 and will help ensure the sustainability and quality of the service.

“The Northern Territory has also seen an increase in calls and greater complexity in the cases its CNS receives, and so the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) will receive $269,423 to meet the surge in demand.

“NAAJA helps reduce anxiety and relieve the stress of people taken into custody and build rapport to refer people to appropriate supports and address underlying issues.”

These investments in the NT and Victoria are part of the Commonwealth’s more than $3.1 million extension to the Boosting Essential Services funding measure to support Indigenous businesses, service providers and communities adjust to new ways of working and start recovering from the impacts of COVID‑19.