New restrictions on the sale of alcohol have come into effect in Alice Springs, following the prime minister's whirlwind visit to the outback town.
The trip came after a week of opposition and media pressure following headline-grabbing calls for the army to be sent in to deal with crime and alcohol-fuelled violence.
Anthony Albanese stopped short of ordering the reinstatement of controversial Intervention-era alcohol bans for Aboriginal communities.
But he's left the door open to it.
What restrictions have been announced for Alice Springs?
Starting on Wednesday, new rules limit the amount of alcohol that can be purchased in Alice Springs, and when — by anyone.
It comes a little over six months after the expiry of blanket takeaway bans that applied only to residents of remote Aboriginal communities and town camps.
The new measures include:
- Takeaway alcohol-free days on Mondays and Tuesdays
- Bottle shop opening hours restricted to 3pm-7pm on other days
- A limit of one transaction per person per day
Those restrictions come on top of modest purchase restrictions announced by the two major supermarkets in recent days, including a limit of two cartons of beer or six bottles of wine per person.
Why is this happening now?
That depends on who you ask.
Residents of Alice Springs have struggled with a surge in already-high rates of crime and violence in recent months.
New police statistics show commercial break-ins increased 56 per cent last year, from 538 to 838, and home invasions went up from 820 to 1,005.
Domestic-violence-related assaults increased from 1,139 to 1,751, while alcohol-related assaults rose from 903 to 1,396.
Aboriginal groups in Alice Springs, including Arrernte traditional owners, are pleading with governments to "look deeply" at the reasons for that — especially at the legacy of the 2007 Intervention and its successor, known as Stronger Futures.
Even the NT Police Commissioner said on Tuesday that "broken" government services to remote communities — things like the quality of housing, education, health services, the adequacy of JobSeeker and economic development — should be the focus going forward.
But for now, both police and the region's peak Aboriginal health service, say the abrupt end of blanket alcohol bans has made things worse.
There has been a lot of finger-pointing by governments about who should have ensured a transition period for dry communities when the 15-year-old bans expired in July.
The peak body for NT's main Aboriginal services argued for more time and an opt-out transition period. The NT government, citing opposition to the race-based premise of the policy, made it opt-in.
NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said on Tuesday it was "now clear" that change of some kind was needed.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has taken credit for Mr Albanese's visit, after championing the Alice Spring mayor's calls in national media interviews for a heavy-handed response.
What happens next?
A senior NT bureaucrat has been tasked with answering that question.
Dorrelle Anderson, who works in the NT's Territory Families department, has been given one week to advise both governments on whether the opt-in system should be opt out instead.
The group that delivers services to the town camps weighed in late on Tuesday, saying the bans had not stopped excessive consumption of alcohol in Alice Springs.
"What these laws did was criminalise Aboriginal people based on where they live," chief executive Walter Shaw said.
"Tangentyere Council supports the aspirations of its members and town campers for self-determination and the abolition of punitive, race-based laws."
Extra funding for police, details of other promises unclear
At Tuesday's press conference, the prime minister said $48.8 million would be spent on a range of services and safety initiatives in Alice Springs.
It's not clear how much of that is extra funding, apart from $14.2 million for police.
The other initiatives are:
- $2 million for CCTV, lighting and "safety measures" in Alice Springs
- $5.6 million for additional emergency accommodation and night patrols
- $2 million for the Tangentyre Women's Council domestic violence service
- $25 million to extend funding "for safety and community services" that was due to expire in June
No other support was announced for family and domestic violence services in the NT, despite ongoing calls for needs-based funding to tackle the country's highest rates of violence.
The prime minister's office has been contacted for further comment.
