ABC, Monday: a man, accused of hitting a woman with a metal bar five times. It is not a conviction. The ABC does not name him. Last week, Darwin Local Court, no lawyer. JobSeeker, under A$400 a fortnight, three children, A$12 in his pocket, in his telling to Judge Ben O'Loughlin. “On the bones of me backside.” Legal Aid NT refused him. The judge granted a stay. The case sits. It is not an acquittal.

The Saturday Paper, 17 October: dozens of files, paused. The attorney-general’s department, as of 2 October: 44 matters with unrepresented defendants, listed in the Local Court, to see whether the prosecution stays. 34 Darwin, 9 Katherine, one Alice Springs. The paper: the real number is likely higher. Nobody is coordinating the applications. Since June, the NT Supreme Court has said the High Court rule — a stay if you have no lawyer through no fault of your own — also applies in the Local Court, on serious charges. That is the procedure. It is not a verdict on a bar.

LANT, from 17 November 2025: criminal grants for adults, in principle, only if they are already in custody. On bail, out. An internal email, Voumard, 1 October: duty lawyers in Darwin, for those not locked up, only “exceptional circumstances”, mental illness or a language barrier. Boothby: baseline plus A$5.5 million, more money than ever. Friday, a spokesperson: A$13 million allocated for 2026–27, A$3.4 million released. The rest, after the agreement is signed. LANT, in the Saturday Paper: the restrictions are not tied to the agreement talks. The government says the opposite. We do not pick.

Prosecutors, still ABC: they pull bank statements, to see whether a person really cannot pay a lawyer. Melinda Listing, in the father’s file: he should start saving, to represent himself. Another file, Tiwi Islands, Jeremy Banwell: almost A$1,000 moved without explanation; if he adjusts his spending, he may be able to pay. Boothby: taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for alleged offenders who can genuinely afford a lawyer. Her words. Accused, not convicted.

Beth Wild, CLANT: the whole system, not only the defence. Violence, sexual offences in the Supreme Court, delays. We do not detail files. Clancy Dane: horrifying for victims. Both the minister and the director should say what it takes for the service to return. Michelle Rowland, federal: the NT is expected to fund legal services, under the national partnership. The photograph: Darwin Supreme Court, 2 November 2019. Not last week’s Local Court room.

Image: Dietmar Rabich, Darwin Supreme Court, 2 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Not the Local Court room.

Sources consulted: Man who attacked woman with metal bar has case shelved due to legal aid funding crisis — ABC News; Exclusive: Dozens of cases ‘paused’ in NT courts — The Saturday Paper.