Queensland’s police commissioner, Ian Stewart, has claimed that Indigenous people are increasingly turning to ice in the vacuum left by alcohol prohibition, giving new impetus to calls for the state government to overturn the drinking bans.
Stewart said anecdotal evidence about the uptake of ice, or methamphetamine, in some of the state’s “dry” communities showed a need to review alcohol bans that he had previously strongly supported.
It came as a leading Indigenous legal advocate, Shane Duffy, said reviews of the bans once touted by the former Newman government had stalled under the new Palaszczuk government.
Stewart told the ABC on Monday: “I think there is now a question about whether those restrictions are working as intended.”
Duffy, the chief executive of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal service, told Guardian Australia: “I think the government’s sort of at this point in time sitting on their hands in relation to any amendments to that legislation.
“I’ve spoken to one CEO of an Aboriginal council and we don’t actually know where all of that’s up to.”
Alcohol restrictions apply in 15 Indigenous communities across the state.
Stewart said his anecdotal evidence of increasing ice use came from mayors in some of those communities.
“I’ve been very strongly supportive of the AMPs [alcohol management plans] because of the reduction in violence that has been noticeable in many of these communities,” he said. “However, I am always open to review and research what would give us a better understanding of the forces in play.”
Stewart said working in partnership with the communities would be “critical”.
“This is not something that we will ever enforce our way out of. There’s got to be education programs, there’s got to be options for people in terms of having work options and an economic base.”
