Gunner calls for overhaul of remote booze ban

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has called on the Federal Government to allow the return of alcohol to remote indigenous communities

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner has called on the Federal Government to allow the return of alcohol to remote indigenous communities.

Mr Gunner said there were about 30 communities which already had alcohol management plans in place but he said they required approval from the Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister.

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“There are quite a few communities who have done that, done the work, put the plan in place and said ‘why can’t we have a social club down the road, you know, family friendly, playground out the back, responsible service of alcohol, I get to play some pool, watch the footy on the TV, I can do that in Darwin, why can’t you do that in some of these places, why, because they’re Aboriginal? Let’s be fair,” he said.

A report today said the abuse of women and children in remote communities was contributing to an indigenous suicide epidemic, but Mr Gunner said his Government had already put in place the nation’s toughest alcohol control measures.

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“I think it’s too general to say you can drink in Darwin but you can’t drink at Yirrkala, what are the things we can do that are fair that provide equality while protecting against the harm of alcohol,” he said.

“At the moment we’ve gone from a very blunt approach, from Canberra, about saying ‘nah, you’re just off,’ and so we’ve got to work through that and I genuinely believe you’ve got to put locals in control.”

He said at the moment many people from remote communities came into Alice Springs or Darwin to access alcohol, but he denied he was attempting to shift the problem out of sight.

“No-one wants to shift the problem and in fact if it’s a problem that you’re shifting remote, it’s just more expensive for me. I want to actually see the problem come down. I want to see kids grow up safe, strong and healthy. I want them to know that they’ve got a job afterwards in that community. I want them to see a future for themselves that I don’t think they see at the moment and they don’t see their parents and their grandparents being in charge of decisions in their local community,” he said.

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“We’ve got to put control back in the hands of locals, we’ve got to give them a functional community that goes all the way through and part of that is by respecting them.”

Mr Gunner said Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt would face the weight of great expectation in his new role, but urged him to return control to local communities.

“I do think if he gets one thing right and that is decisions are best made in Yuendumu or Yirrkala, rather than in Canberra, that’s a big tick and we haven’t had that really from Canberra in a long time,” he said.