Treasurer unveils urgent help for under-siege Alice Springs
After being left in the dark for months, the Commonwealth has revealed exactly how and where a $250m package to save crime-stricken Alice Springs will be spent.
NSW
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Frustrated Alice Springs locals have learnt their fate after being kept in the dark about how $250m in crisis funding for troubled Central Australia will be spent.
The emergency cash was announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier this year after harrowing stories of youth crime and domestic violence emerged from the heart of the nation.
The federal budget marks the first time details have been revealed on exactly where the cash will be spent.
It is much needed transparency after repeated calls from organisations on the ground for more details.
The biggest chunk of the funding — $50m — will be spent on community and regional infrastructure while another $40m will be spent on encouraging Aboriginal students to attend school and improve their learning outcomes.
“Alongside financial support for Australians in need, we’re also investing in new programs to tackle entrenched disadvantage,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.
“(We will invest) $1.9bn for First Nations’ health, housing, education, employment and other essential services … And $250m for a new Central Australia package to improve safety and provide more opportunities for young people in their communities.”
The details come as violence has once again intensified in the outback town after a lull in crime following the reintroduction of alcohol bans on remote Aboriginal communities and town camps.
The most recent escalation saw a violent crowd descending onto a local pizza shop to terrorise staff.
Under the $250m package, a new Health Hub will also be created in Alice Springs while $10m will be used to bring better digital connectivity to remote areas.
As revealed by the Telegraph’s documentary, Cry From the Heart, teens from surrounding communities like Utopia regularly travel to Alice Springs alone or in groups to roam the streets and access the internet on the main shopping strip.
At-risk young people will get more cultural camps to connect them to their roots for $4m while more than $9m will go towards improving community safety and diverting minors heading towards a life of crime.
The budget put the prevention of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder as one of the top priorities for the national Central Australia Plan, with $1.4m to be spent on raising awareness about the condition that is rampant in the region.
Another $238.5m will go towards improving cancer outcomes and $141.2m will prevent smoking and vaping for Indigenous Australians.
Housing in remote areas will be prioritised to tackle extreme overcrowding under a $111.7m Commonwealth and Northern Territory government partnership.
In the lead-up to the Voice referendum, $10.5m will be spent on boosting mental health support for First Nations people including in remote and regional areas.
“Later this year, we will have an opportunity to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s First peoples through a Voice to parliament,” Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said.
“The Voice will help bring about practical change by providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a direct line of advice to the Australian parliament and government.”
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