More children in NT care than ever before

There are more children in care in the Northern Territory than ever before, the attorney-general says.

John Elferink, who is also the Minister for Children and Families, on Tuesday told parliament the situation is worsening.

"And it will continue to get worse while there is an attitude on the part of the members opposite and frankly the federal government that a passive welfare system is a way forward for people living in the NT," he said.

Member for Casuarina Lauren Moss during question time accused the government of "appalling neglect" of children.

She said that since an $8 million cut to the department last year, child protection cases not investigated within a mandated 28 days increased by over 50 per cent to 1347.

She said Tuesday's budget further cut resources, which Mr Elferink rejected, pointing out the department's bottom line had swelled from $161 million last year to $172 million this year.

"The members opposite will simply go out and tell bald-faced untruths in pursuit of running a particular agenda," he said.

"Since when is it the government's responsibility to become parents? We turn up and we rescue children from parents who neglect, abuse and sexually abuse their children; some parents rape their children, and we have to come along and we are the ambulance that fixes that up."

He said Labor policies that said parents were victims created indifferent thinking on the part of parents.

"Then when the government intervenes to try to rescue these children from these dreadful and diabolical circumstances it's all of a sudden the government's fault," Mr Elferink said.