Tangentyere Council leaders tell Canberra alcohol management plans have been left ‘idle’

A Central Australian leader said plans to address alcohol related harms have been left ‘idle’ in Northern Territory communities.

Community-driven plans for the safe reintroduction of alcohol into dry communities in the Territory have sat “idly by” on government desks for years, the Senate has heard.

Tangentyere Council, which represents 16 Central Australian Town Camp Housing Associations, addressed the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs on Tuesday to detail the transition out of Stronger Futures.

President Geoff Shaw said there was “minimal consultation” with the Northern Territory bureaucracy before Intervention-era booze bans were lifted in July.

“We’ve lived through 15 years of these draconian and deplorable measures and legislation that were imposed on us at the stroke of a pen,” Mr Shaw said.

The fourth-generation town camper said communities were granted a six-week “grace period” to decide if they wanted to ‘opt-in’ to a two-year alcohol ban extension.

Tangentyere Council president Geoff Shaw said there was “minimal consultation” with the Northern Territory bureaucracy before Intervention-era booze bans were lifted in July. Picture: Zach Hope

He said all 16 Tangentyere town camps chose to allow alcohol to return, despite not having community-developed alcohol management plans approved.

“What I’ve personally felt is that we don’t feel like common criminals, because alcohol has been decriminalised since the sunsetting,” he said.

“Up until now, Tangentyere Council has not had an opportunity to adopt an alcohol policy back in community and back on town camps.

“Our alcohol management plans have sat idly by within the bureaucracies at the federal level and Northern Territory level.

“We have been waiting patiently, in good faith and with goodwill, to have these provisions of support from all tiers of government.

“But I think what’s lacking is the pivotal goodwill for the bureaucracy and its governments to actually hold those conversations through Tangentyere Council and our town camp housing associations.”

Tangentyere social policy manager Michael Klerck said recently announced restrictions on trading hours and limits on the alcohol quantities in Central Australia were seen positively.

Tangentyere social policy manager Michael Klerck said recently announced restrictions on trading hours and limits on the alcohol quantities in Central Australia were seen positively “because they weren't discriminatory”.

But Mr Klerck said there was still “inherent weakness” in the alcohol restrictions, particularly with penalties for alcohol breaches “too lenient”.

He said many remote residents used proof of age cards without their address, meaning they could still be living in one of the 110 remaining ”dry communities”, under general restricted area conditions.

Earlier this month, the Iris Capital-owned Gap View bottle shop was found to have failed to use the Banned Drinker Register scanning system on 189 of 507 occasions on a single day on September 11.

The Liquor Commission, on January 13, said the breach was “inherently serious” with 37 per cent of all sales in breach of the law.

A week later, NT Police suspended the licence for another Iris Capital venue, with the Todd Tavern barred from trading for 48 hours for alleged “ongoing threat to public safety” from January 20.

The Sydney-based venture also owns the Alice Springs casino, the Diplomat, Uncles and the Alice Springs Resort.

On Wednesday, Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce told the Joint Standing Committee the industry wanted to “be part of the solution” with businesses taking measures such as the Banned Drinker Register, sales and trading hour limits seriously.

“We know that supply side measures alone cannot be expected to address deep underlying social issues that lead people to harmful use of alcohol,” Mr Bruce said.

Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce told the Joint Standing Committee the industry wanted to “be part of the solution”. Picture: Che Chorley

Multiple alcohol and hospitality representatives emphasised the need to expand existing measures, such as the Banned Drinkers Register, Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors and enforcement against sly grog runners.

Australia’s largest drinks and hospitality business Endeavour Group, which owns Dan Murphy’s and BWS, said NT liquor laws were “some of the strongest in the world, particularly on the licence and supply restriction side”.

“It‘s really clear that the demand side and the harm side are the harder questions to tackle, and more of a long-term approach to the whole thing will see better results,” Endeavour senior advisor Stuart Totham said.

South Australian Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle said alcohol consumption in the Territory was 14 litres more per year than the general population and 50 per cent higher than other Australians.

“It's really clear that, in the Northern Territory, if you’re in the alcohol or hospitality business, it’s a great place to be.”

However, the Joint Standing Committee also heard that as the alcohol restriction policies were lifted, harm-reduction funding was drying up in Central Australia.

Tangentyere chief operating officer Patrick McDonald told the committee the day earlier Commonwealth funding to target domestic violence and for any drug and alcohol support services decreased each year.

Tangentyere chief operating officer Patrick McDonald told the Joint Standing Committee the day earlier that Commonwealth funding to target domestic violence and for any drug and alcohol support services had been decreasing each year.

“As alcohol restrictions are being lifted in Alice Springs … our funding for that program is at its lowest point ever,” he said.

Senator Liddle asked the Tangentyere leaders if $49.9m in federal funding for drug and alcohol services had reached their communities following the dismantling of the cashless debit card.

“No, we‘re not aware of any funding from that source,” Mr McDonald said.

Mr McDonald said a $2m funding announcement for the Tangentyere Women’s Council on Wednesday January 25, had not reached the frontline domestic violence services, while a further $500,000 for family violence reduction program was being negotiated.