Editing Darwin, Northern Territory (section)

== Law and government ==
[[File:Darwin (AU), Parliament House -- 2019 -- 4336-8.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory]]]]
The Darwin City Council (incorporated under the Northern Territory Local Government Act 1993) governs the [[City of Darwin]], which takes in the CBD and the suburbs. The city has been governed by a city council form of government since 1957. The council consists of 13 elected members, the [[lord mayor]], and 12 [[Alderman|aldermen]].

The City of Darwin electorate is organised into four electoral units or wards. The wards are Chan, Lyons, Richardson, and Waters. The constituents of each ward are directly responsible for electing three [[Alderman|aldermen]]. Constituents of all wards are directly responsible for electing the Lord Mayor of Darwin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darcity.nt.gov.au/aboutcouncil/elections/elections.htm|title=Darwin City Council – Elections|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929211108/http://www.darcity.nt.gov.au/aboutcouncil/elections/elections.htm|archive-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> Since the August 2017 council elections, the mayor has been [[Kon Vatskalis]].<ref name="2017mayor">{{cite news|title=New Darwin Lord Mayor blasts predecessors for 'stupid decisions'|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-04/new-darwin-lord-mayor-kon-vatskalis-blasts-predecessors/8869522|work=ABC News|date=4 September 2017|language=en-AU}}</ref>

The rest of the Darwin area is divided into two [[Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory|local government areas]]—the [[City of Palmerston|Palmerston City Council]] and the [[Coomalie Shire|Shire of Coomalie]]. These areas have elected councils that are responsible for functions delegated to them by the [[Northern Territory Government]], such as planning and garbage collection.

The [[Northern Territory Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory]] convenes in Darwin in the Northern Territory [[Parliament House, Darwin|Parliament House]]. [[Government House, Darwin|Government House]], the official residence of the [[Administrator of the Northern Territory]], is on the Esplanade.

Darwin is split between nine electoral divisions in the Legislative Assembly—[[electoral division of Port Darwin|Port Darwin]], [[electoral division of Fannie Bay|Fannie Bay]], [[electoral division of Fong Lim|Fong Lim]], [[electoral division of Nightcliff|Nightcliff]], [[electoral division of Sanderson|Sanderson]], [[electoral division of Johnston|Johnston]], [[Electoral division of Casuarina|Casuarina]], [[electoral division of Wanguri|Wanguri]], and [[electoral division of Karama|Karama]]. Historically, Darwin voters elected [[Country Liberal Party]] members,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ntec.nt.gov.au/Electoral-divisions/Division-maps|title=Division maps 2019/2020|last=NTEC|date=15 May 2018|website=NTEC|language=en|access-date=28 March 2020|archive-date=6 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406121022/https://ntec.nt.gov.au/Electoral-divisions/Division-maps|url-status=dead}}</ref> but since the turn of the 21st century, voters have often selected [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] members, particularly in the more diverse northern section; as of the [[2020 Northern Territory general election]], all of Darwin's nine Legislative Assembly electoral divisions are held by Labor, with Labor also holding both the Northern Territory's federal electorates, [[Division of Solomon|Solomon]] and [[Division of Lingiari|Lingiari]].

Also on the Esplanade is the [[Supreme Court of the Northern Territory]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.supremecourt.nt.gov.au/|title=The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory|website=supremecourt.nt.gov.au|access-date=26 January 2019}}</ref> Darwin has a Magistrate's Court on the corner of Cavenagh and Bennett streets, close to the Darwin City Council Chambers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://localcourt.nt.gov.au/|title=NT Local Courts|first=NT Local|last=Courts|date=27 January 2019|website=localcourt.nt.gov.au|access-date=26 January 2019}}</ref>

=== Crime ===
{{Main|Crime in the Northern Territory}}

[[File:Darwin (AU), Supreme Court -- 2019 -- 4347.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Supreme Court of the Northern Territory]] ]]
Darwin's police force are members of the [[Northern Territory Police]], under the NT Police Darwin Metropolitan Command. The Darwin urban centre includes Darwin City and the associated suburbs from [[Buffalo Creek, Northern Territory|Buffalo Creek]], [[Berrimah, Northern Territory|Berrimah]], and East Arm westwards, representing around 35% of the Northern Territory's population.<ref name="stats2019dar">{{cite web|website=NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services: NT Police Force|url=http://www.pfes.nt.gov.au/police/community-safety/nt-crime-statistics/darwin|title=Darwin crime statistics|access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref> Palmerston urban centre closely approximates the Palmerston Local Government Area, and represents approximately 13% of the Northern Territory's population.<ref name="stats2019palm">{{cite web|website=NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services: NT Police Force|url=https://www.pfes.nt.gov.au/police/community-safety/nt-crime-statistics/palmerston|title=Palmerston crime statistics|access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref>

Darwin has had a history of [[alcohol abuse]] and violent crime, with 6,000 assaults in 2009, of which 350 resulted in broken jaws and noses—more than anywhere else in the world, according to the [[Royal Darwin Hospital]].<ref name="etjaw">{{cite news|title=Australian city of Darwin named 'broken jaw capital of the world'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6945648/Australian-city-of-Darwin-named-broken-jaw-capital-of-the-world.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6945648/Australian-city-of-Darwin-named-broken-jaw-capital-of-the-world.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Bonnie|last= Malkin|date=7 January 2010|access-date=24 October 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Mitchell Street, with its numerous pubs, [[night club|club]]s and other entertainment venues, was one of the areas policed by the CitySafe Unit, officially launched by the NT Chief Minister [[Paul Henderson (politician)|Paul Henderson]] on 25 February 2009. It was credited with success in tackling alcohol abuse linked to crime,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsroom.nt.gov.au/adminmedia/mailouts/5170/attachments/090217%20City%20Safe.pdf|title=CitySafe Night Patrol on the Beat in the City|author=Northern Territory Government|year=2009|url-status=dead|access-date=24 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917175101/http://newsroom.nt.gov.au/adminmedia/mailouts/5170/attachments/090217%20City%20Safe.pdf|archive-date=17 September 2009}}</ref> and the NT police were looking at establishing a specialist licensing enforcement unit in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nceta.flinders.edu.au/files/3413/5226/7676/EN458_LLReport3.pdf|first1=Allan|last1=Trifonoff|first2=Rachel|last2=Andrew|first3=Tania|last3=Steenson|first4=Roger|last4=Nicholas|first5=Ann M.|last5=Roche|display-authors=1|title=Liquor licensing legislation in Australia: Part 3: Police expectations and experiences|series=An examination of Liquor Licensing Legislation in Australia as at December 2010|others=Commissioned by the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs through the National Drug Strategy Cost Shared Funding Model|access-date=24 October 2019|archive-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025140417/http://nceta.flinders.edu.au/files/3413/5226/7676/EN458_LLReport3.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The First Response Patrol, run by Larrakia Nation, which helps move homeless Indigenous women out of dangerous situations, was credited with the decline in sexual assaults in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|first=Jane|last=Bardon|date= 23 July 2009|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/23/2634526.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726135154/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/23/2634526.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 July 2009 |title=Crime statistics show fall in sex assaults|access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref> The service operates every day from 5am to 2am.<ref>{{cite web|website=Larrikia Nation|url=http://larrakia.com/services/outreach-services/|title=Outreach services|access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref>

===Recent trends===
In the 10 months between 1 October 2018, the date that the alcohol floor price and various other measures were imposed by the NT government following the Riley Review, and 31 July 2019, alcohol-related assaults dropped by 16% and domestic violence by 9% in the Darwin area.<ref>*{{cite news|website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-18/domestic-violence-assualts-drop-alcohol-floor-price-nt/11619046|title=Alcohol-related domestic violence and assaults drop dramatically one year on from floor price introduction|first1= Chelsea|last1=Heaney|date=19 October 2019|access-date=20 October 2019}}
*{{cite news|website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-19/riley-review-into-alcohol-in-nt-released/9065824|title=Riley review: Floor price on alcohol, 400sqm rule to be scrapped in wake of NT alcohol policy paper|first1= Dijana |last1=Damjanovic|first2= Xavier|last2= La Canna|   date=19 October 2017|access-date=20 October 2019}}</ref>

The rate of offending in most categories of crime dropped in the Darwin urban area between 2018 and 2019, with the notable exceptions of motor vehicle theft and break-ins (both up about 12%).<ref name="stats2019dar" /> Apart from sexual assault, which rose from 21 to 46, all other categories of crime declined in Palmerston.<ref name="stats2019palm" />