Alice Springs: Alcohol limited in Australian town due to violence

An outback Aussie town has re-imposed a controversial policy directed at Aboriginal areas that restricts the sale of alcohol.

Under the new restrictions, no takeaway alcoholic beverages will be sold in Alice Springs – regarding 450km northeast of Uluru – on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Alcohol can also only be marketed between 15: 00 and 19: 00 on all times except Saturdays.

A previous ban finished in mid-2022 right after it was deemed since racial discrimination.

The best choice of the Northern Territory, Natasha Fyles, said the measures were imposed to protect family members and children over the town as the city experiences a significant embrace violence.

Ms Fyles said data demonstrated alcohol-related harms acquired risen since the last alcohol ban ended in July 2022.  

In the a year to November 2022, there were 2, 653 assaults in a town of roughly 25, 000 people, the Northern Territory government’s crime statistics discovered.

Alongside the restrictions on alcoholic beverages, more than 25m Aussie dollars (£14. 2m) for community solutions – including ladies services, police funding and CCTV protection lighting – was announced.

Located in main Australia, a 5th of the citizens of Alice Springs are usually indigenous Australians.

Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the town on Tuesday together with senior Aboriginal political figures, including MP Linda Burney and Senator Pat Dodson.

He said the steps were implemented to attempt to address broader interpersonal inequalities affecting 1st Nations people.

“Today’s decisions are in the context from the gap that is present in health outcomes, housing outcomes, life expectancy, incarceration rates among indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, ” Mr Albanese said.

After meeting law enforcement, politicians and local community leaders in the town, he said the federal government would consider a number of legal changes in early February, including a method where communities will have to opt out of alcohol bans.

Mr Albanese’s visit comes as his government commences a referendum to have an Indigenous Voice in order to Parliament.

The particular Indigenous Voice to Parliament would recognize Aboriginal people in the constitution and create a permanent voice in parliament that would be consulted on issues affecting the particular Aboriginal communities.