Building the business case in the Northern Territory

Recorded physical assaults on staff at NT public hospitals rose about 70% in a single year, from 920 in 2021-22 to 1,561 in 2022-23 (NT Legislative Assembly). NT Health's chief executive acknowledged in April 2026 "an increase in violence at all of our hospitals across the NT" (Inside State Government, April 2026).

So a business case in the Territory works differently. Lead with the incident trend and the workforce cost, and use national benchmarks for the dollar figures, because NT Health hasn't published its workers' compensation costs since 2022-23. Then add the argument that is specific to the NT: culturally safe de-escalation, which the Territory's own Community Visitor Program has called for repeatedly.

What are the numbers in the Northern Territory?

Assaults on hospital staff rose in four of the NT's six public hospitals between 2021-22 and 2022-23, and the total rose 70%.

Royal Darwin

670 (+56% on 2021-22)

Alice Springs

479 (+142% on 2021-22)

Palmerston Regional

354 (+63% on 2021-22)

Tennant Creek

41 (+273% on 2021-22)

Katherine

7 (−84% on 2021-22)

Gove

10 (−50% on 2021-22)

Source: NT Legislative Assembly written questions 392 and 647. No later totals have been published.

Seclusion at Royal Darwin Hospital rose to 132 events in 2025-26, up 48% on the year before. The 78 events in January to June 2026 were the most in a half-year since late 2020 (Community Visitor Program 2025-26).

Paramedics: St John NT recorded 169 occupational violence incidents against paramedics in a year, and Alice Springs crews logged their 100th attack of 2026 by early October (ABC, March 2026; ABC, October 2026).

Workers' compensation:

• NT Health's workers' compensation claim costs rose 21%, from $6.4m in 2021-22 to $7.8m in 2022-23. Later annual reports don't publish the figure (NT Health Annual Report 2022-23).
• Across the NT's health and community services sector, 88% of serious claims for being hit by a moving object were assaults by a person in 2024-25 (NT WorkSafe).

Workforce pressure:

• NT Health reported about 208 nursing vacancies, including 67.6 at Alice Springs (10.7%), and about $66.2m spent on 279 agency nurses in the reporting period (Estimates, 15 June 2026).
• Royal Darwin and Palmerston have been in code yellow six times in 2026 (ABC, August 2026).

What are NT regulators and reviewers saying?

The Territory's independent Community Visitor Program is the clearest voice, and its open recommendations map directly onto de-escalation training. Its 2025-26 report and appendix (report; appendix) include:

• An open question on whether security staff involved in restraint and seclusion at Royal Darwin receive Safewards, de-escalation and trauma-informed training, with regular upskilling.
• A call for Aboriginal-led training specific to reducing restrictive practices, including seclusion and restraint.
• A long-standing recommendation in Central Australia to use culturally appropriate de-escalation strategies, including male Aboriginal Mental Health Workers.
• Aboriginal people made up 74% of those secluded at Royal Darwin in January to June 2026.

NT WorkSafe opened an inquiry in April 2026 after nurses reported threats and assaults at Royal Darwin "on a daily basis" and duress responses of up to 15 minutes (ABC, April 2026). No outcome has been published yet.

Government response so far: 150 personal duress alarms for ED staff at Royal Darwin and Palmerston (April 2026), and a new 24-bed mental health inpatient unit at Royal Darwin due in late 2026 (NT Government, via Mirage News). Alarms summon help faster. De-escalation aims to reduce how often help is needed.

The law:

• The NT's psychosocial hazard regulations have applied since 1 July 2023, and its Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice was approved in May 2024 (NT WorkSafe).
• Industrial manslaughter has been an offence in the NT since February 2020.

Which arguments land in the NT?

In the Territory, workforce is the strongest argument, followed by cultural safety. Every injured nurse is a shift that has to be filled from a short, expensive supply.

1. Workforce and lost days. With about 208 nursing vacancies and $66m spent on agency nurses, every injury removes someone who is hard to replace. Nationally, a serious mental health claim means a median of about 35 weeks off work (Safe Work Australia). In the NT, that time is usually covered by agency or fly-in staff.
2. Cultural safety. The Community Visitor Program's recommendations ask for Aboriginal-led and culturally appropriate de-escalation. A program that answers those directly is both a clinical improvement and a response to an independent reviewer.
3. Compliance. An open NT WorkSafe inquiry, a psychosocial code in force, and a Community Visitor Program question about security staff training that has been open for two years.
4. Avoided cost. NT Health hasn't published its claims costs since 2022-23, so use national benchmarks and your own claims data. A psychological injury claim averages $90,000 to $190,000 in comparable public health systems (WA government agencies, 2024-25; Victorian public hospitals, VAGO).
5. Security integration. Contracted security staff work inside NT mental health units. Training clinical and security staff together closes the gap the Community Visitor Program has flagged.

Where can the money come from in the NT?

In the NT, the main routes are NT Health's own budgets and each nurse's professional development allowance. No NT nursing innovation fund or Territory grant for OV training was found.

Pooling allowances across a team can cover a group's places, and a culturally safe de-escalation pilot evaluated with a university fits national research and philanthropic funders.

Where do I find my own figures?

Most of the numbers you need are internal, so ask for them early.

• Incidents: your RiskMan reports for occupational violence, code blacks and greys, by ward.
• Claims and cost: NT Health's claims manager reports (Gallagher Bassett) for your area: claims, costs and days lost.
• Seclusion and restraint: the Community Visitor Program's half-yearly appendix, and the national tables in the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services (section 13).
• Workforce: vacancies, agency hours and overtime for your unit.