Most notifications related to domestic violence, and Territory Families determined the child could remain at home

NT police made 16 alerts about home in which toddler was allegedly raped

Northern Territory police alerted welfare services 16 times over 18 months with concerns about the family of a two-year-old Tennant Creek girl, who was allegedly raped last week by an adult man.

The police confirmed they had made 20 notifications related to the girl’s family, including the 16 to Territory Families, from the time the girl was two months old till a few months ago.

Most notifications related to domestic violence, which is reported to child welfare services if a child is present during an incident.

Territory Families confirmed on Thursday it had investigated and determined it was safe to leave the child with her mother. Its chief executive, Ken Davies, said none of the notifications related specifically to concerns of sexual abuse.

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The house was also the site of a fatal assault earlier this month, when a man was beaten and died of his injuries some weeks later.

The man accused of assaulting the toddler was involved in an altercation earlier that day, and was briefly hospitalised, Guardian Australia has learnt.

On Friday, the minister for Territory Families, Dale Wakefield, agreed to meet local women who had written asking her to talk to local Indigenous community members about its assistance and proposed programs for at-risk youth.

“Regrettably and sadly a non-Indigenous young girl took her life in Katherine recently, and rightfully so the NT and Commonwealth governments and relevant organisations responded accordingly,” the letter said.

“Why was not the same level of support and assistance provided to our community and the families of three young Indigenous people who took their lives?”

Many Tennant Creek residents have accused the government of ignoring their pleas for help and not responding in a meaningful way until it learned of the sexual assault several days after the incident.

After three people took their lives within a three-week period last year, desperate community leaders wrote to the chief minister, Michael Gunner.

The suicides came in the same year as two other violent deaths in the area.

“I suspect if there were three [non-Indigenous] suicides in Darwin, Alice Springs or anywhere else in Australia in three weeks, all hell would break loose,” a letter from Elliot McAdam in November said.

“Three black suicides and two violence-related deaths in Tennant Creek … out of sight, out of mind or is it?

“Tennant Creek is a sad place … we don’t know how to deal with suicides … can you imagine what the immediate families and extended families are going through. Tennant Creek is small, we are all family. We all feel the despair, loss and grief, we need help.”

The following day, the Barkly Regional Council mayor, Steve Edgington, wrote to Gunner in support of McAdam and to ask what action the government had taken in addressing suicide, crime, and alcohol abuse in Tennant Creek.

McAdam received a response from the health minister, Natasha Fyles, on Gunner’s behalf.

“I was saddened to learn of the suicides in your community and can only imagine the devastating impact this is having on the town and surrounding region,” Fyles said.

She directed McAdam towards some services, and said the government was working with some of them on developing better suicide-response programs.

“We know that significantly reducing suicide rates in our community will take time. Many factors will contribute to that change. The task ahead is challenging, however it is a task the Northern Territory government is wholly committed to.”

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Edgington said he received no response until Tuesday evening, after the alleged rape had been reported in the media.

The mayor said the letter from Gunner did not mention the girl, but instead was a “fairly broad response” to his November queries.

“I’m not [satisfied]. There’s further information that hasn’t been addressed and I’ll be starting discussion with the acting chief minister.”

In light of the town’s concerns – which were also raised with the police commissioner and acting chief minister at an emergency meeting on Wednesday – a government funding announcement of $5.5m for a tourism upgrade has angered residents.

As part of the government’s $103m “turbocharging tourism package”, the minister for tourism, Lauren Moss, announced the crisis-struck town would receive upgrades to signage and the visitor’s centre to “improve the visitor experience” to Tennant Creek and show off its gold rush and mining history.

One resident described it as “an absolute joke” given the town’s troubles.

Edgington said it was “one of those things”, and a small amount in the context of the tourism expenditure and the $50m museum for Darwin.

“I think what needs to happen is government needs to rethink or continue to consult with the community here to really get it clear what the priorities are and commit funding towards that.”

NT Police said they were already investigating 31 cases of alleged sexual offences in the Territory in January, including 10 relating to children under 16.

Last year, they investigated 149 sexual or indecent offences, a drop on the previous year’s 163 - which had increased annually since at least 2013.

The police are also monitoring an increasing list of more than 400 registered sex offenders in the NT, not including those who have come in from interstate.

– Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78; Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636