Women in the Territory

Budget 2024 supports better outcomes for women and girls through a range of initiatives. The Territory Government also applied a gender lens to all new initiatives as part of the 2024 Budget development process to ensure consideration of potential impacts of new proposals on women.

Health and wellbeing

A person carrying a box, working in an industrial shed

Budget 2024 supports the health and wellbeing of Territory women through:

$47 million for maternity services in Territory hospitals, including 28 beds at Royal Darwin Hospital and 16 in Alice Springs, and 10 same-day beds
$5 million for the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting program to engage and support mothers and their families
$3.2 million for free mammograms with BreastScreenNT for women aged 50 to 74, with services available in urban centres. A mobile service also provides screening to over 1,000 women every year in up to 20 communities
$1.2 million for YWCA Australia to provide advocacy, programs and services for women, including affordable accommodation
$1.2 million to support young mothers to obtain ongoing long-term employment or take up flexible learning pathway opportunities, and support the Strong Young Dads program
$0.2 million for cervical cancer screening.

Education and training

Budget 2024 invests in education and training for women, including:

$24 million for apprenticeships and traineeships to offer Territorians the opportunity to study and earn an income while undertaking a qualification. Of the 3,788 current apprentices across the Territory, 1,285 are female (34%). Women also receive additional incentives, such as pastoral care, and are targeted for traditional trades
$2.4 million for Stars Foundation programs for girls to provide school-based mentoring and wellbeing support across 16 schools to increase attendance and assist female students to complete year 12
$2 million for the Remote Aboriginal Teacher Education program enabling remote residents, particularly women, to pursue a teaching career
$65,000 to fund seven Minister for Equality Scholarships for tertiary and vocational education and training through Charles Darwin University
up to 20 higher education scholarships of $5,000 for year 12 graduates to study their first degree. In 2024, 56% of the scholarships were awarded to women.

Working women

Budget 2024 supports working women through:

$5.7 million to subsidise childcare operators to reduce child care costs for parents, enabling women to get back into the workforce or pursue study
$1.5 million for Screen Territory to support local screen practitioners, attract productions and provide upskilling opportunities for locals. This includes grants of up to $100,000. In 2023‑24, 62% of all successful applications were awarded to women or female owned companies
$278,000 to support women to undertake study in the fields of construction and engineering
$193,000 for the Working Women’s Centre to provide free and confidential advice to Territory women on industrial relations and workplace issues
sponsoring the National Association of Women in Construction Awards
Hostplus, the government’s default superannuation fund, providing dedicated seminars for women on superannuation, focusing on strategies to increase their superannuation balances and prepare for retirement.

Leadership and diversity

Budget 2024 supports women’s leadership and equality through the Gender Equality Action Plan 2022‑2025, including:

$114,300 in grants to support projects, services and activities that promote gender equality
$92,000 in grants to support a range of organisations for various events and activities to mark International Women’s Day
the Women’s Leadership Network, including monthly inspirational speakers, formal mentoring program and training events to grow leadership capabilities for women in the public sector.

Women’s motocross championship

Budget 2024 provides funding to secure the rights for the Territory to host FIM Motocross World Championship, including the women’s world championship. The Territory will become Australia’s home of this world-class event.

There are currently 198 registered female competitors in motocross clubs across the Territory and this is the first time the women’s event will take place in Australia.

Reducing domestic, family and sexual violence

The Territory Government continues its commitment to generational change and safer communities for women and children by providing $70 million in Budget 2024 to reduce domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV).

Budget 2024 includes an additional $30 million over two years to continue and expand implementation of Action Plan 2 under the DFSV Reduction Framework, as part of the 10-year plan to reduce the impact of DFSV.

Statistical snapshot

Compared with the national female population, Territory women are younger (33.8 years old versus 39.2 nationally), proportionately more are Aboriginal (31.6% versus 3.8% nationally) and have a higher fertility rate (1.66 births versus 1.58 nationally).

The Territory has the highest proportion of employed females of all jurisdictions, with 101.6 for every 100 employed males in March 2024. Female participation is comparable to male participation in the Territory (73.3% compared with 73.7%), in contrast to the national results (62.6% for females and 70.6% for males).

Female workforce participation rate by jurisdiction

Source: ABS

In March 2024, annual growth in Territory employment (up by 2.2%) was largely driven by growth in female employment (up 3.5%, compared with 0.9% for males). The number of employed females in the Territory is now at a record high.

Printable fact sheet

Get a printable copy of the women in the Territory factsheet PDF (1008.8 KB).

Key deliverables