Peter Dutton wants the nation’s focus to now turn to the drug and sexual abuse problems he says are rampant in Alice Springs after the reimposition of alcohol bans.
After months of escalating crime and social disorder in the wake of the lapsed Stronger Futures legislation, a snap review by central Australian controller Dorelle Anderson made recommendations to reinstate bans across the region until communities could develop alcohol management policies.
NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles on Monday said the restrictions, which impact Alice Springs and surrounding town camps, did not amount to a revival of the former legislation, which she has said were race-based and disempowered Indigenous Territorians.
While the Opposition Leader welcomed the move, he said alcohol was just one part of a much wider problem.
“We certainly need to do more about the drugs that are rife in the community. It’s not just alcohol that’s changing the behaviour of young people in particular,” he told ABC Radio.
“We need to do more in relation to the protection of children, probably the first priority by any measure.
“There is a lot of thought I think in the minds of public servants in the NT of the Stolen Generation, and people don’t want to repeat that mistake, understandably.
“But we’ve got children who are being sexually abused and we’re putting them back into an environment where they’re not safe. And I don’t care what the circumstances, what culture we’re talking about, we can’t be putting anything above the interests of the child and the protection of those children.”
Mr Dutton slammed Anthony Albanese for making “no comment” about what he deemed the “most important issue”.
“The protection of children is still paramount,” he said.
Alice Springs resident and NT Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the alcohol bans were welcome, but grog itself was just a “symptom of deeper issues” not only in Central Australia but around the country.
“It is important that we step in to look at the foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and to work with families and children,” she told Nine.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney also echoed the sentiment.
“The idea that alcohol is the only issue that needs to be dealt with in the NT is just not real,” she said.
She said the Albanese government had invested an additional $250m, on top of the $48 million pledged last week, to the Territory.
“The most important thing right now is making sure that the money that has been committed does go to things like improve safety, cohesion, job creation, better services, importantly foetal alcohol syndrome, investing in families and crucially, learning on country which means we’ll get the kids back to school.”