Marcia Langton challenged by Alison Anderson on ice claims

THERE is no ice epidemic in remote indigenous communities, according to NT indigenous leader Alison Anderson.

Northern Territory indigenous leader Alison Anderson. Picture: Amos Aikman

THERE is no ice epidemic in remote indigenous communities and claims to the contrary are part of cynical attempts by outsiders to build support for Andrew Forrest’s “ill-considered” review, according to Northern Territory indigenous leader Alison Anderson.

Ms Anderson yesterday challenged University of Melbourne professor Marcia Langton to prove that remote communities were in the grip of an ice crisis, accusing her of irresponsibly trying to stir up “moral panic” with her comments, published in The Weekend Australian.

“I challenge Marcia Langton today to name a single community where ice is widely used,’’ Ms Anderson said. “I challenge her to front up at any community and repeat the claims, to come and explain herself and present the evidence.

“In fact she is stereotyping all Aboriginal remote communities in a desperate attempt to build support for the ill-considered and sketchy recommendations of the Forrest inquiry she help to run.”

Among the 27 recommendations contained in billionaire mining magnate Mr Forrest’s 230-page Creating Parity report, a blueprint for indigenous affairs policy reform, was a plan for a cashless welfare card run by banks.

Professor Langton called for the so-called “healthy welfare” card to be implemented to limit the availability of cash to buy drugs.

“We heard many reports of ice or methamphetamines in remote communities,” she said.

“Whereas it was once marijuana and kava, now there is a youth epidemic of amphetamine use.”

But Ms Anderson said Professor Langton was out of touch with the bush.

“Is she talking about Cape York? No ice epidemic there. About the Western Desert? No epidemic there. Or maybe she means Arnhem Land, where she parades in the safe enclave of the Garma Festival every year among white crowds? I have just spent a long time in Arnhem Land, on the ground, in communities. Again, no ice.

“She does not speak the languages of any of the remote communities, she does not understand their problems and she does not know their ground condition.”

Northern Land Council chief executive Joe Morrison said he had not heard of widespread abuse of hard drugs in remote communities and stressed that, even if ice were present in a few places, it was important not to generalise.

He questioned the wisdom of more “hard-nosed solutions”, which he said had been counterproductive in the past.

“Having more government-imposed control over these places is just going to destroy communities,” Mr Morrison said.

“We need to get communities involved in designing these solutions, and not kick them in the guts again.”