NT coroner links baby's death to mother's eviction and overcrowded housing

A Northern Territory coroner found a six-week-old Aboriginal baby died from sudden unexpected death of an infant after her mother was evicted and forced to sleep on an overcrowded floor in Alice Springs in September 2024. The 21-year-old mother, described as attentive and caring, was effectively homeless after leaving crisis accommodation and moved in with relatives who had previously assaulted her, including her sister-in-law and father. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage said the Department of Children and Families failed to provide safe sleeping support or accommodation, though child removal was not the answer. The death was the eighth SUDI case examined by the NT coroner this year, and the territory has Australia's highest infant mortality rate at 6.53 deaths per 1,000 people. The coroner recommended improved safe sleeping education, better homelessness tracking for new mothers, and policy reviews to prevent premature closure of family engagements.