Sweeping booze bans to return to Alice Springs town camps

Alcohol bans have been reinstated in central Australia, preventing the sale of booze to Aboriginal people living in town camps and remote communities.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says the Government will pass through urgent legislation next week to put bans back in place.

It comes after a recommendation of alcohol laws ordered by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after a rise in crime and alcohol-fuelled violence across the Northern Territory.

Alice Springs locals packed a town hall meeting to address community issues

‘We’ve heard loudly and clearly that the matter and decision of alcohol on community needs to be one that is made by the entire community,’ she said.

‘That is why we’re creating a circuit breaker and implementing temporary dry zones until communities can develop and vote on the alcohol management plans.’

The bans can be lifted if 60 per cent of residents vote in favour of an alcohol management plan, once it’s developed.

‘The new legislation will follow local decision making processes, where community alcohol plans will be developed, communities that want to make changes will go to a vote with 60 per cent of the population needing to agree and the director of licensing needing to sign off on these plans,’ she said.

‘I will bring the legislation immediately to the Northern Territory parliament, when it meets for the first time this year, next week.’

‘We’ve always said that if our policies don’t deliver the benefits to our communities that we seek, we will be agile with these policies.’