‘Bottle shop threatens our loved ones’: Woolies urged not to open Dan Murphys by Indigenous groups

Indigenous groups urge Woolworths not to build new bottle shop in Darwin saying it’s too close to vulnerable communities.

More than two dozen Indigenous groups have urged Woolworths not to build a large bottle shop in Darwin, saying it “threatens” their community.

The open letter, signed by 26 Indigenous community groups and 13 allies has urged Gordon Cairns, the chairman of the Woolworths Group to reconsider the new Dan Murphy’s outlet.

They’ve asked Mr Cairns to “put people above profits’’ and “take the time to actually listen to what we’re telling you”.

However, Endeavour Group, who owns Dan Murphy’s, says they’ve consulted with Aboriginal groups for five years over the project and have not come up against opposition.

The signatories compare building the bottle shop to the “willful and deliberate destruction” of their community’s health.

The letter claims Woolworths Group failed to speak with community leaders over the proposed site and did not consult with the community.

A spokesperson for Endeavour Group said they’d been “working with and engaging with communities and groups in Darwin for almost five years” developing a “safe and responsible” store. The full statement is published below.

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26 Indigenous community groups have asked the plan for a Dan Murphy’s in Darwin be abandoned. Picture: Glenn Hampson

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SITE MOVED AWAY FROM COMMUNITIES

The new location for the Dan Murphy’s is nearby the Sabine Road intersection in Eaton, about 1.4km away from another site earlier proposed by Endeavour Group.

The former site, at Bagot Road near the Darwin Airport, was rejected by the NT’s Independent Liquor Commission as it was within walking distance of vulnerable communities.

“The new site is further away from local Indigenous communities and we believe the change will help to alleviate some of the key concerns,” Shane Tremble from Endeavour Group told the ABC in November.

“We have spent a lot of time having meaningful conversations with local communities to understand their views, listen to any concerns they may have, and to address them.”

Mr Cairns said the company had met with representatives from the local Aboriginal communities, and they’d not expressed any opposition to the newly proposed site. He made the comments at the Woolworths Group’s annual general meeting.

OPEN LETTER CALLS URGES STORE TO BE SCRAPPED

However, the letter has made a direct appeal to the chairman to stop the outlet from opening.

“We are sure you know the impact that alcohol products are having in communities across Australia — the violence, disease and misery that spreads like a cancer,” the open letter reads.

“We have been working together to create a stronger, healthier and more resilient community.

“Would you really undermine all that for the sake of extra profit?”

The letter also alleges Woolworths has at “no point” engaged in a meaningful way with the Indigenous community.

“You claim to have responded to public concern by moving the store. In reality, you’ve bumped it a kilometre down the road. This is pure public relations spin designed to protect your public image, not our community.

“Australians were outraged by the willful and deliberate destruction of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural sites elsewhere in the country by big corporations.

“Your pursuit of this store equates to the same willful and deliberate destruction of the health of our community and it will be judged accordingly.”

‘DAN MURPHY’S CAN BE OPERATED SAFELY’

A spokesperson for Endeavour Group provided the following statement to news.com.au.

“We have been working with and engaging with communities and groups in Darwin for almost five years to develop a plan for a Darwin Dan Murphy’s store that would be safe and responsible to operate,” the spokesperson said.

“It is our view — which is informed by feedback from a range of stakeholders including Gwalwa Dariniki Association, NT Police and the NT Government — that a Dan Murphy’s can be operated safely at the proposed new site.

“We acknowledge that some groups do not share this view, however, we are committed to having meaningful conversations with local communities in Darwin to understand their views, listen to their concerns and to do what we can to address them. We hope that this constructive dialogue will continue, and we remain open to having a direct dialogue with any member of the community or community group.

“Our ambition is to be Australia’s most responsible retailer, and if approved, the Darwin Dan Murphy’s would operate under the strictest alcohol policies in Australia.”