A proposed 12-month trial allowing the public to carry Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray in the Northern Territory will put more lives at risk and fail to improve safety, according to the Territory's peak Indigenous medical organisation.

On Wednesday, the CLP government announced plans for the trial to begin in September. Under the scheme, approved individuals will be permitted to carry the spray for self-defence under what the government describes as "strict legal conditions".

The announcement comes as part of a broader suite of controversial law and order reforms the government has introduced since being elected last year.

"This is about giving Territorians more choice when it comes to personal safety," Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said in a statement.

"We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed."

Currently, Western Australia is the only other jurisdiction where members of the public can legally carry OC spray, which is at a lower strength than that used by police.

The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) has strongly condemned the plan, calling it a "misguided policy" and the latest example of poor lawmaking from the CLP.

AMSANT Chief Executive Dr John Paterson said it is "incredibly misleading" to suggest OC spray improves safety and argued the move will have the opposite effect.

"This decision will cause harm, deepen community distrust, and exacerbate already dangerous racial divisions. It offers no positive outcomes and will instead trigger a range of unintended consequences," he said.

"Expanding access to OC spray will only lead to more violence, more people being criminalised, and more pressure on a justice system that's already stretched beyond breaking point. This is a pressure fuse."

Dr Paterson said the trial was especially dangerous given the Territory's housing, homelessness and incarceration crises — all of which disproportionately impact First Nations people, particularly those sleeping rough who are often criminalised.

"The Territory has nearly 6,000 people on the public housing waitlist. One in five Aboriginal people here are experiencing homelessness. We have 13 times the national rate of people sleeping rough," he said.

"This crisis is driven by overcrowded housing, family and domestic violence, incarceration, and chronic underinvestment in social services. The same government that is pushing more people onto the street is now arming the public with a harmful weapon. It defies all logic."

Misuse of the spray will be a criminal offence, with penalties including prison time. Ms Finocchiaro said a Community Oversight Reference Group will be formed to give the community input, emphasising that the trial is about "equipping Territorians with more options, not less control."

"It's a practical step that balances personal responsibility with community safety, and we'll be watching the outcomes closely through reporting and evaluation," she said.

The CLP government has been under sustained criticism from Indigenous, legal and human rights groups over several punitive law-and-order measures — including lowering the age of criminal responsibility — which have significantly increased the prison population.

Dr Paterson said the OC spray trial was "another example of the systemic criminalisation of Aboriginal people," adding that it puts vulnerable communities in "harm's way" rather than addressing the root causes of violence.

He urged the government to abandon such programs and redirect funding to evidence-based solutions that promote long-term safety.

"If we want to stop violence before it starts, we need to invest in what works – safe housing, early childhood services, culturally safe healthcare, and wraparound supports that strengthen families and communities," Dr Paterson said.

"If the government is serious about creating a safer Territory, it must flip the script. That means stop fuelling fear and division, and start funding the services that build hope, safety and resilience."