Prison spend soars to cope with crackdown on bail laws

A much-loved Darwin store owner's fatal stabbing on April 23 inspired what are being billed as Australia's toughest bail laws.

The NT government brought in the reforms barely a week after 71-year-old Linford Feick was allegedly stabbed to death by a teenager who was on bail for "serious matters" and has since been charged with murder.

The laws will lead to rising demand for beds in prisons and youth detention centres, prompting the boosted funding in the budget.

The NT's prison population has reportedly risen by more than 500 since the CLP won the 2024 election, many of them youth offenders.

Corrections Minister Gerard Maley said the funding commitment of more than $500 million for corrections was vital to reduce crime and keep the community safe.

The funding boost for corrections is part of an anticipated $1.5 billion to implement the government's law and order plans across police, corrections and courts. 

When the bail laws were passed Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said Labor would support them "in good faith" but they were a "band-aid solution".

Treasurer Bill Yan had foreshadowed cuts to economy-driving infrastructure projects, with little focus on measures that reduced or prevented crime, she said.

The NT construction sector contributes $2 billion to the economy, accounts for 6.4 per cent of gross state product and employed nearly 11,000 territorians.

"These cuts will hit territory jobs and territory families and stall economic growth," Ms Uibo said.

Justice Reform Initiative executive director Mindy Sotiri said the record spend on law and order, with just $4.2 million allocated to address family and domestic violence, was "a clear example of getting the policy and resource settings completely wrong".

"The NT remains Australia's most imprisoned jurisdiction, with an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia – and that number continues to rise due to punitive legislative settings," she said.