Remote Communities Forum

Forum Report

This report summarises the key discussion points and community solutions suggested by participants at the Stakeholder Forum held in Alice Springs on 27 June 2007.

Antisocial Behaviours in Alice Springs

In previous stakeholder forums, participants had identified the following antisocial behaviours in Alice Springs:

  • Being drunk in public
  • Children on the street late at night
  • School age children on the street during school hours
  • Humbugging or harassment of locals and tourists
  • Noise and brawling in public places and in public housing.

The participants at this forum agreed that these behaviours were observable in Alice Springs. Participants also discussed similar issues in their home communities and how Aboriginal people themselves were addressing these.

For example, Peggy Brown Nampijinpa OAM spoke about the importance of her work in Yuendumu and Mt Theo communities. Namipijinpa has been recognised with an Order of Australia for her work over the past 12 years in developing the MT Theo Substance Abuse program for young people in the Yuendumu region. Nampijinpa also works with the Night Patrol to sort out alcohol, substance abuse and violence issues throughout the Yuendumu community.

Nampijinpa asked that governments acknowledge that Aboriginal people are working on alcohol, substance abuse, youth and violence issues in their communities. Furthermore, that Aboriginal people are finding their own local solutions to antisocial behaviours.

Causes of Antisocial Behaviour

At this forum there was a strong recognition that one of the key underlying causes for antisocial behaviours in Alice Springs was a lack of recognition, respect and valuing of Aboriginal culture.

Participants stated that Alice Springs is a town built upon Aboriginal traditional land. It was identified that the local traditional owners, their culture and their land needed to be respected. There was support for the traditional owners of Alice Springs to become leaders in the promotion of respect for Aboriginal people and their culture within the town.

The forum also identified the following underlying causes of antisocial behaviours in Alice Springs:

  • Health, education and housing
  • Poverty
  • History
  • Homelessness and unemployment
  • Cross-cultural awareness and communication
  • Social and emotional well-being.

Alcohol management

The great majority of the discussion at this stakeholder forum was focused on the antisocial behaviours arising from alcohol abuse.

Chris McIntyre from the Department of Racing, Gaming and Licensing provided an overview of the Dry Areas legislation for Alice Springs. Mr McIntyre was assisted in the discussion by representatives from Territory Police and the Health Department.

The following is a summary of the information presented on the Dry Town legislation (a map was provided that showed the boundary of the no-drinking area). From August 1 2007,:

  • No-one can drink alcohol in the parks, the streets, the mall and the river areas around the town
  • The only area where you are allowed to drink alcohol in public is the picnic area at the Telegraph Station
  • People can apply to the Department to be able drink alcohol in a public place for a set time within Alice Springs for the purposes of a special community function, like a wedding.
  • People can still drink in hotels and restaurants
  • If you drink in a public area, police can tip out your alcohol, give you an infringement notice, and even send you to the Court
  • There will be signs around the town to tell people where they cannot drink
  • From the middle of July there will be a series of TV and Radio ads talking about the Dry Town legislation
  • There is a general consensus that there are too many places in Alice Springs from where alcohol can be purchased. The Territory Government is looking at reducing the number of liquor outlets and there is a moratorium on the granting of future takeaway licences
  • Takeaway alcohol accounts for 75% of all alcohol purchases in Alice Springs
  • Under the new law, you cannot buy takeaway alcohol before 2pm during the week and before 10am on Saturdays. On Sundays you can only buy takeaways from 12 Noon, and only at hotels. You can’t buy takeaway alcohol after 9pm on any day of the week.
  • There are also bans on the sale of certain sorts of takeaway alcohol, like cask wine and port
  • The Territory Government is looking at introducing an ID card system for purchasing alcohol.
  • The Australian Government is also looking to introduce a law that ensures that bulk purchases of alcohol are recorded to limit grog-running.
  • The Territory Government also recognises that alcohol education and marketing campaigns are valuable in changing drinking behaviours.
  • The representative from the Police explained that the infringement notice for those caught drinking in a public place will be an on-the-spot fine
  • The Alcohol Court is meant to deal with problem drinkers. The court may issue either a prohibition order, or an order for the offender to undergo a program of rehabilitation. If an offender then breaches an Alcohol Court order, they may end up being jailed.
  • The representative from the Department of Health explained that the Alcohol court is a joint initiative of the NT Police, Department of Justice and the Department of Health
  • The Department of Health makes an assessment of each offender’s health and suitability to undergo a rehabilitation program
  • There is space currently available in the Alice Springs rehabilitation program
  • Offenders from outside Alice can be offered a place in the town rehabilitation program. Family members may be invited to accompany the offender on the program- this especially applies to young offenders.
  • There is also the possibility of offenders undertaking an at-home detox program in communities outside Alice Springs
  • You don’t have to commit an offence to access alcohol rehabilitation treatment. People can approach health centre staff or police to access current programs.
  • The Territory Health Dept currently funds 6 community-based alcohol treatment programs across the Territory.

Following the presentation, participants contributed the following comments, suggestions and solutions in regard to alcohol management in Alice Springs:

  • Drinking Behaviours: Some participants suggested that there needed be at least some places for people to drink in public within the Alice Springs town area. Other participants suggested that all people should get used to drinking in hotels, the Casino, or with a meal in a restaurant where drinking is controlled. Some participants suggested that light beers should also be better promoted.
  • Alcohol rehabilitation programs: these programs needed to be flexible enough to work with families as well as individuals. Recognition of Aboriginal approaches to healing needed to be incorporated within these programs. In-community or at-home programs should be supported as well.
  • Police and Night Patrol: there was a significant recognition of the good work that both the Police and night patrol programs currently perform in tackling alcohol abuse in Alice Springs. Participants also acknowledged that these services may require additional funding to make more impact in Alice Springs.
  • Helpline: Some participants supported the idea of setting up a local helpline for people having problems with alcohol.
  • Permits to drink: The question was raised if, under current Territory legislation, people are able to apply for a permit to drink on Aboriginal Land. It was explained that to receive such a permit, required both the approval of the Police and the local government council.
  • ID Cards: there was a general interest in developing this particular alcohol management initiative. It was a suggested that if individuals did not have a driver’s licence for ID, that their local council could produce a photo ID instead. It was also commented that some people may not wish to be issued with an ID Card so that they couldn’t be pressured to buy alcohol on behalf of others. That is, some people may want to be “declared as non-drinkers.”
  • Takeaway outlets: forum participants agreed that there were too many outlets selling alcohol in Alice Springs. Supermarkets and other food stores were not seen as appropriate places for the sale of alcohol.
  • Alcohol Free Day: there was significant support for the trial of this initiative.
  • Education and Awareness programs: there was support for the effective communication of information about the changes to alcohol laws in Alice Springs.
  • Grog-running: there was strong support for reducing grog-running.
  • Participants also acknowledged that other addictions, such as ganja, petrol sniffing and gambling contribute to antisocial behaviours in Alice Springs and elsewhere.

Visioning Alice Springs

Rosalie Kunoth-Monks closed the forum with these words (edited extract):

“Alice Springs is home – the home of my black ancestors. I have white relatives too, close family. They built this town together. The family sorted out their hardships … we’ve come through all that, we are one family.

“I am not unique to that history.

“This town was built on a relationship that was built on black and white – it also has a toughness because we live out here in the heart of the country.

“Alice Springs is uniquely set in one of the most original cultures of the world, this Indigenous culture. Until we learn to appreciate each other’s differences and cultures we will not get far.

“Aboriginal people - we will not let go of culture. This way teaches us to have love and respect for ourselves and others.

“And let’s share each other’s culture too. Alice Springs is a melting pot of different people. Traditional Owners of Alice need our support to stand up for the traditional culture and law of this place.”

Representatives for the Summit

The following forum participants agreed to represent the interests of remote communities at the Summit:

  • Rosalie Kunoth-Monks (Urapuntja Council and Utopia community)
  • Harry Nelson Jakamarra (Yuendumu)
  • Leo Abbott (Wallace Rockhole).