A focus on prisons will lead to a "bleak" future under the Country Liberals, Labor has claimed, adding the NT government is "delusional" about the Territory's issues with crime.
Delivering her first budget reply, Labor leader Selena Uibo, the first female Indigenous leader of a major party in Australia, said the NT government's budget was a missed opportunity to enact long-term safety for the Territory.
After eight years in power, Labor suffered a heavy defeat in last year's election and now only holds four seats - all in regional or remote areas. As a result, they are unable to prevent legislation from passing parliament.
Earlier this week CLP Treasurer Bill Yan doubled down on his government's tough-on-crime agenda - which has seen them lower the age of criminal responsibility to ten as well as overseeing a dramatic increase in prisoner numbers - by announcing a $60 million funding increase for corrections.
Along with bringing the department's overall budget to a record $495 million, there has been a $36 million increase for the NT Police.
"After eight years of Labor, the Territory was at the bottom of the nation. This Budget changes that," Mr Yan said. "It puts victims first, delivers real relief, and sets the Territory up to grow faster than the rest of Australia."
Over one per cent of the NT's population is behind bars - more than half on remand - with claims of overcrowding seeing people sleeping on floors in watch houses and prisoners being unable to access rehabilitative programs.
Almost 90 per cent of the prison population is Indigenous.
On Wednesday, Ms Uibo said: "If the budget provides a vision or road map for the territory, it is a bleak one."
"Territorians want to see people who do the wrong thing face consequences, but community safety is much more than just the short-term, band-aid solutions or quick fixes that put more people on a path to criminalisation and reoffending.
"This Budget should have been a turning point. Instead, it's proof the CLP Government has no plan, no vision, and no understanding of what it takes to move the Territory forward."
Despite raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12 while in power, prison numbers also rose under Labor. However, Ms Uibo said the government was delusional if it thinks its tough-on-crime mantra will help community safety in the long run.
"Their refusal to invest in meaningful crime prevention will have consequences that reach well beyond this budget cycle," she said.
It echoes comments from experts, like those of Children's Commissioner Shahleena Musk, who have said previously that governments have a responsibility to enact reforms that will be effective and responsive to issues impacting communities.
However, NT Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley said the government can't "expect to reduce crime without investing in our police, corrections and justice system, which is why we are boosting the bottom line for Corrections".
"We are dealing with the mess left by Labor in Corrections and dealing with the root causes of crime to reduce re-offending."
In February, Independent politician Yiŋiya Mark Guyula said he had written to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, calling for them to visit the NT.
Last month, the Yolŋu man argued that consecutive governments had "failed to work with elders and leaders and implement community-led solutions".
"Over decades, governments have taken decision-making power and resources away from our Elders, and until they give it back, we are stuck watching this crisis unfold from the sidelines," he said.
"We feel helpless and ignored by the Government as they side-step the leaders and do what they think is right for us, instead of seeking out community-led solutions."
