The Australian Medical Association's NT branch has strongly defended the work of Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage.

On Thursday the AMA NT said it supports Coroner Armitage's findings into domestic and family violence, and noted "comments made by the current Territory Government around the recent Coronial inquests and the Coroner's office".

The Chief Minister has made comments in the media regarding the "dragging on" of the Walker inquest, the AMA NT said in a statement.

More recently, the Territory's Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence has labelled the November 2024 inquest into multiple deaths from domestic and family violence as "uninspiring" and "failing dismally to hit the mark", the AMA NT noted.

"We strongly rebuke these comments. They are a misrepresentation of the truth. The Coroner's office was not ultimately responsible for delays to the Walker inquest, which was mired by a number of appeals," the AMA NT said.

"The inquest into domestic and family violence is the most comprehensive and detailed analysis of the issue that we have in the NT.

"Coroner Armitage has laid bare the avoidable deaths of 72 women and has provided a series of detailed and sensible recommendations to the Government, which ultimately have been accepted in the majority by the same Government that has criticised them."

The AMA NT said the Coroner "holds an essential role in our society".

"Without a strong and independent Coroner, we cannot have a strong healthcare system and a strong community more broadly," the peak medical professional organisation said.

"The wide and powerful remit of the Coroner is our social insurance policy. When our systems fail in the most significant way (i.e. death), the Coroner is able to investigate without impunity and push back against senseless bureaucracy. Their role in ensuring truth sees the light of day is critical to our lifestyle and our community.

"The Coroner must be free to carry out their duties free from the politics of the day. The judiciary must remain independent, ensuring it can work without interference from the executive branch of government."

AMA NT President, Dr John Zorbas said rates of hospitalisation from domestic and family violence are 20 times higher in the NT than the rest of Australia, with almost two thirds of all assault being related to domestic and family violence.

Dr Zorbas said the Territory government "should support the Coroner in full and focus on action around domestic and family violence rather than playing politics with such a serious issue".

The AMA NT said it "would like to applaud the work of Coroner Armitage on the November 2024 inquest into domestic and family violence".

"She has given a voice to those who are voiceless."

National Indigenous Times contacted the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory for comment.

An NT government spokesperson noted that "tragically in the NT, 89 per cent of domestic, family and sexual violence victims are Aboriginal women" and told National Indigenous Times authorities "cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results".

"We are developing a DFSV Prevention and Response Roadmap to set strategic priorities for the Territory's record $36 million annual investment to tackle DFSV. DV assaults continually rose under the former Labor government," they said.

"Territorians rightfully have concerns around the costs and delays in recent coronials. We have said everything is on the table looking at the coroner's act to ensure the coroner performs its vital role in an efficient and effective manner as Territorians would expect."