The recommendation to reinstate alcohol bans in Alice Springs town camps and outback home lands was described as “finally some commonsense” by the Independent MLA for Araluen, Robyn Lambley.
But she says Dorrelle Anderson, who made the recommendation, should now go back to her work and “sort out child protection, the most critical problem in Central Australia” and “keep off the streets” children causing trouble.
Ms Anderson is the Southern Region Executive Director for Territory Families. She was appointed by the Prime Minister as Northern Territory Regional Controller last week, to make recommendations about crime and alcohol control.
Re-introducing the bans is so far the only detail of the report Ms Anderson was charged to produce that was made public.
Ms Lambley says the bans should be resumed until alcohol management plans are implemented.
“The bans were lifted without consultation,” she says.
“We need to start again, do it properly.
“The Chief Minister and Central Australian Minister Chansey Paech need to go.
“Their decision to open the rivers of grog across Central Australia has been the single most destructive decision made by any NT Government in decades.
“We need to sort out child protection. The most critical problem in Central Australia is neglect and abuse of children.”
Ms Lambley says as an NTG public servant Ms Anderson has shown “extraordinary courage” contradicting Chief Minster Natsha Fyles and Attorney General Chansey Paech: “Good on her.”
The Little Children are Sacred report in 2007 triggered the Intervention and provided details of child abuse.
“Where are the figures for 2022? We don’t have the figures,” says Ms Lambley.
Meanwhile the Opposition says victims of child sexual assault and domestic violence continue to stack up every day in Alice Springs while Territory Labor delays reinstatement of the grog ban.
Shadow Minister for Youth and Territory Families Joshua Burgoyne says the government’s own crime figures showed a 67% increase in reports of children being harmed the week after the grog ban was lifted.
“Every day in Alice Springs, police respond to 25 cases of domestic violence,” Mr Burgoyne says.
“Ms Anderson was given just one week to produce the report but now they’re telling us it will take a week to read it,” he said.
This article appeared on Alice Springs News on 3 February 2023.
