Drunken violence explodes in Ceduna as cashed-up visitors hit town

The town’s mayor has rubbished claims that a Labor election promise is behind a surge in alcohol-fuelled problems.

A worrying spate of alcohol-fuelled violence has gripped the regional town of Ceduna, as its mayor says an influx of visitors over the holiday period spend new-found cash on alcohol.

It’s understood SA Police has boosted its presence in the area, while the state government dispatched a specialised Human Services team to assist with medical care and short-term accommodation for the visitors who are from various remote Indigenous communities.

New restrictions on the sale of alcohol were imposed just before Christmas in response to the rising violence, which has involved several drunken brawls in front of shocked onlookers on the main street.

Ceduna Mayor Ken Maynard rejected claims the spike in violence had been associated with the abolition of the Cashless Debit Card in early October.

Ceduna Mayor Ken Maynard.

Mr Maynard said the cause was a large rush of visitors – from outside Ceduna and who were never card users – spending new-found money on alcohol towards the end of 2022.

“Most of these incidents are related to people coming out of town who were never on the (cashless welfare) card,” Mr Maynard said.

“And there’s been a perfect storm in the fact that they’ve recently received their mining royalty cheques and are obviously cashed up.”

The state government must pay the Aboriginal Lands Trust up to two thirds of all royalties it receives from mineral or petroleum developments on Trust lands.

First Nations people who live in, or have association, with the mined area are entitled to 50 per cent of the allocated royalties.

Sources have backed up Mr Maynard’s claims, but The Advertiser has attempted to contact the Ceduna Aboriginal Corporation and the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation for official comment. SA Police has also been contacted for comment.

Former Ceduna Mayor Allan Suter blames the abolition of the Cashless Debit Card for the violence.

“It was unusual to see anything in the way of public intoxication, but now it’s everywhere,” said Mr Suter, who first raised these concerns in November.

The former mayor says he has witnessed a massive increase in the use of poker machines and that makeshift camp sites with beer cans strewn everywhere have been spotted on the local golf course.

Images purporting to show the issue of rising public drinking and anti-social behaviour in the regional SA town of Ceduna in recent weeks. Picture: Supplied

Images purporting to show the issue of rising public drinking and anti-social behaviour in the regional SA town of Ceduna in recent weeks. Picture: Supplied

Consumer and Business Services imposed daily limits on alcohol purchases from December 23 to January 30.

Aboriginal Lands Trust chief executive Grant Rigney said: “There needs to be more (education) about the actual effects of alcohol and what type of spin-offs it actually has, such as domestic violence and social disorder.”

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the federal government had made several funding commitments for community services in Ceduna, including a bus service that helps boost school attendance.

The Human Services Department confirmed two staff, a nurse and an Anangu health worker were in Ceduna for three days to assist the Red Cross at the Community Hub between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and at the Transitional Accommodation Centre.

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