Proposed changes to the Northern Territory's sexual offence suppression laws must protect victim-survivors' rights, privacy and safety, rather than expose them to further harm, advocates and experts have warned.

Last month, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) proposed allowing the public naming of accused rapists and child sex offenders before they are committed to stand trial. Under NT law, the identities of people charged with serious sexual offences, including rape and child sex offences, cannot be publicly revealed until their cases are committed to the Supreme Court.

The NT is the only Australian jurisdiction that maintains anonymity for alleged offenders in these cases before committal.

In an open letter to Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, a coalition of 30 legal, Aboriginal and family violence support organisations said they supported reforms to sexual offence suppression laws that put victim-survivors' rights, privacy and safety first.

"Victim-survivors should not face unnecessary legal barriers to telling their own stories, and the justice system must be transparent and accountable," the letter said.

"But greater transparency must not come at the cost of exposing people who have experienced sexual violence to further harm.

"This is not a question of party politics. It is a question of consent, the best interests of a child, and the responsibility we all share to protect victim-survivors."

The proposed changes were flagged by the NT Government after the identity of Nathaniel Farrell, 34, was made public following his conviction for raping a four-year-old girl. His identity had been suppressed for almost a year.

Farrell was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October after pleading guilty to one count of rape over the attack on the child in an Indigenous community in the greater Darwin region last year.

A suppression order was imposed by the Darwin Local Court last year to prevent Farrell's name from being published. The order was extended after he was committed to the Supreme Court and also prohibits the publication of the victim's and witnesses' names.

Ms Finocchiaro flagged changes to the law and told Darwin's Mix 104.9, "these types of heinous offenders have been protected for too long".

"We have already, for a number of months, been doing the work on what this could look like and how we bring the territory in line with other jurisdictions," she said.

"What we would do by the end of the year is bring legislation — to bring that as far forward as we can in the process, with some judicial discretion — so that these people do not get to be protected."

In the open letter, the organisations argued that, due to the small size of the NT, particularly in remote and Aboriginal communities, naming an accused person can "inadvertently identify a victim-survivor through family relationships, kinship networks and community connections".

"Once that information becomes public, the harm cannot simply be undone," they said.

Debate among advocates, media organisations and lawyers over suppression orders has often centred on balancing open justice with the potential for reputational damage before someone has been committed to stand trial.

Sexual assault survivor and creator of the #LetHerSpeak campaign, Nina Funnell, who has advocated for the changes in the NT, told the ABC last month: "Justice done in the dark is not justice."

"If we want survivors to keep coming forward to protect the community, the least we can do is ensure their efforts to make us all safe aren't being thwarted by decisions which prioritise the feelings of offenders over the principle of open justice," she said.

The open letter is calling on the NT Government to remove barriers preventing adult victim-survivors from sharing their experiences, strengthen protections for children's identities and ensure that identifying an accused person does not unintentionally expose a victim-survivor.

The organisations have also called for informed consent and families' wishes to be considered when decisions are made about publicly identifying people affected by sexual violence, and for genuine consultation with victim-survivors and specialist services before any changes to the laws are introduced.

"These are reasonable safeguards that should attract support from every side of politics," the letter's signatories said.

"We acknowledge the government's stated commitment to putting victims first. We believe that commitment must include respecting a victim-survivor's right to speak, their right to remain private, and their right to decide how their experience is shared. There is no need to rush legislation of this significance. There is every reason to get it right."

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