The Albanese government is pushing for opt-out alcohol restrictions in the Northern Territory to tackle social unrest in Alice Springs, Malarndirri McCarthy has revealed.
McCarthy, the assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, described this week as a “critical moment” for the NT government to respond to the request, signalling a further toughening of restrictions.
Intervention-era grog bans in the NT lapsed in July, after which many Aboriginal communities chose to opt in to ongoing restrictions for another two years. Some, including the town camps around Alice Springs, did not.
After a visit from the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, last week, the NT government imposed new alcohol rules, including two alcohol-free days and restricted trading hours the rest of the week, in response to crime fears in Alice Springs.
Albanese has left a total ban or opt-out restrictions on the table, depending on the report of central Australian regional controller, Luritja woman Dorelle Anderson, due by 1 February.
Asked on Sunday if there should be a total ban, McCarthy said there was an “interesting” debate happening about alcohol, including the Darwin lord mayor asking “for those bans to be spread across Darwin city and the Northern Territory”.
“In Alice Springs itself though … we have to stay focused with them,” she told Sky News. “This is where the report this week that comes from the Northern Territory government is absolutely critical.
“The federal government has urged the NT government to ensure that there is the opportunity to opt out for communities.
“And they have the power here in the Northern Territory through the legislative assembly to do that. So this week is going to be a critical moment.”
McCarthy said the government had to “make sure … that it’s about action”. “We have to move and give confidence to the families and businesses of Alice Springs and central Australia that they will be safe and that there is a future and a way through this.”
McCarthy rejected calls from the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, for a royal commission into child sexual abuse in the territory, noting that there is already a joint parliamentary committee for the NT that can establish an inquiry.
She said there is “every possibility for further examination” of the issue in that committee and “that’s the process that I’d urge Peter Dutton to go through”.
McCarthy cautioned against calling in the Australian Defence Force, because the Howard government’s 2007 NT intervention caused “a great level of panic and heightened concern” leading to “leftover trauma” for families.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, praised Albanese for travelling to Alice Springs and ensuring decision-makers listened to the community.
“I don’t think he’s come up with all the solutions but I think sending Canberra to Alice Springs was the right thing to do,” he told Sky News, arguing this “proves the Nationals’ point” that consultation in the regions is better than a voice to parliament in Canberra.
Littleproud said alcohol restrictions “should never have been let go” because the federal government had been warned in June by community groups against it.
Littleproud targeted Labor for abolishing the cashless debit card, arguing this amounted to respecting the “dignity of Australians to be able to give them the freedom to have alcohol”.
“Where’s the dignity of the women and children who are the victims of this?” he said.
Littleproud called on the government to protect the “greater good” of community safety by reimposing alcohol bans.
