A review of potential alcohol bans to address surging youth crime in Alice Springs will be presented to federal and territory governments after tough takeaway restrictions were put in place.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles last week on new measures to curb anti-social behaviour in the red centre.
The pair announced a three-month ban on the sale of takeaway alcohol in the region on Mondays and Tuesdays and reduced trading hours on other days, and introduced a limit of one purchase per person daily.
A long-term central Australian alcohol management plan will be developed to deal with the “complex issues” in the region, which include alcohol-fuelled violence, unemployment and youth on the streets.
The prime minister appointed Dorrelle Anderson as a central Australian regional controller to review opt-in alcohol restrictions and consider if bans should be implemented.
Ms Anderson is expected to provide her review to the federal and territory governments on Wednesday, a week after the crisis meeting was held.
Mr Albanese said he wanted “full solutions” to the problems facing NT communities.
“All governments could have done better over a long period of time on all of these issues,” he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
“The truth is many of these issues are intergenerational … that’s why we need to listen to communities about what their needs are.”
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney travelled to Alice Springs with Mr Albanese to meet with leaders and community members.
She said Indigenous youth had so much potential and governments needed to do better to support them.
“We need to do better by them and by us. We all have an obligation to do more at every level of government,” she said.
Mr Albanese has been criticised for attending the Australian Open in Melbourne for longer than he was in Alice Springs but Social Services Minister Bill Shorten said this was unfair.
“What’s happening in Alice Springs is a crisis … the prime minister regards it as a very important issue,” he said.
“Whether or not the prime minister watched a game of tennis, to me, it’s just looking at all the wrong issues.
“The people in Alice Springs want to know what we’re doing for them and I want to assure them the government … are completely focused on what’s happening there.”
