Prime minister Anthony Albanese to return to crime-ridden Alice Springs

Anthony Albanese will return to Alice Springs for the first time in over a year following a spate of high-profile public violence, rioting and youth crime resulting in a 20-day-long youth curfew.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arriving in Alice Springs in January 2023. Picture: Liam Mendes

Anthony Albanese will return to Alice Springs for the first time in over a year following a spate of high-profile public violence, rioting and youth crime resulting in a 20-day-long youth curfew.

Fifteen months after the Prime Minister’s controversial four-hour trip in January last year, Mr Albanese is returning to Alice Springs on Monday following calls by members of the Coalition who claim he has been neglecting the troubled town.

Sources not authorised to speak have told The Australian Mr Albanese will spend a day and a night in the town.

At the end of March a youth curfew was implemented after more than 100 people ­rioted in the town and cornered one of its most popular pubs, which police said at the time they did not have the resources to control.

Hours later, police were called to a town camp where they say about 150 people were “armed in public and engaging in violent conduct”.

Those incidents on March 27 saw parts of Alice Springs in lockdown over what sources claimed was “payback” for the death of a young man who died after a stolen car overturned on March 8.

New unseen CCTV: A violent riot through the streets of Alice Springs on Tuesday has ramped up calls for a total federal government takeover of the town, with the mayor calling for the territory’s government to temporarily step aside.

Full story: https://t.co/armSNTtaBRpic.twitter.com/1GXJCZxjrQ

— Liam Mendes (@liammendes) March 27, 2024

CCTV revealed by The Australian showed a group attempting to smash the windows of a popular pub, pelting bricks and throwing their bodies at glass doors as workers try to barricade themselves in on the other side, following a ceremony for the 18-year-old who was killed.

The Australian also revealed in February that children as young as 10 are caught behind the wheel of stolen vehicles and ­immediately returned to a ­“responsible adult” – only to continue to reoffend.

Last month Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson called upon the Albanese government to ‘step in’ following the riots, saying he had never seen violence escalate to the level seen in March and that violence had escalated to a point where it was beyond the control of the Northern Territory Government, calling for the Federal Government to step in and restore control.

On Sunday Mr Paterson was more restrained, saying he would be calling on Mr Albanese to push for “more sustained funding” to continue the increased number of police on the streets following the riots, and to ensure auxiliary police remain at bottle shops.

“The chief minister has made some temporary improvements but we need more long-term solutions,” he said.

He also called for an audit on Indigenous service providers who fail to deliver outcomes they are funded by the federal government to deliver.

“Mr Albanese should really consider an audit of the Indigenous service providers he is funding, to hold them accountable because we are spending millions and millions of dollars and we’re not getting any outcomes,” he said.

Alice Springs advocate Darren Clark questioned who Mr Albanese would be meeting with and listening to during his visit.

“Are you going to speak to crime effected locals? Are you going to meet with the kids on the streets?” Mr Clark said. “These are the real kids in need that never get spoken to,” he said. “Will the PM get to the bottom of the underlying issues that create and affect the problems that we see here everyday?” Mr Clark said. “Its not just a matter of putting in alcohol restrictions, we need better solutions that change the lives of these children, you’ve got to stop the cycle,” Mr Clark said.

Children of Alice Springs, aged 10, 11 and 13 take a stolen Toyota for a joyride in the streets. Picture: Liam Mendes

The town has also been facing a lawyer and court resourcing crisis, with Aboriginal people accused of serious crimes left without representation and having to fend for themselves in court.

Extensive reporting of the issue in The Australian has revealed claims of corruption, fraud, bullying and drug use within the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency. Amid these allegations, staff have left the organisation in droves, leaving it chronically short-staffed.

Mr Albanese was in central Australia in October last year, just days before voting for his failed Voice referendum.

Earlier this month Territory Labor unveiled Alice Springs Deputy Mayor Allison Bitar and local Arrernte woman Sheralee Taylor as its candidates for Braitling and Namatjira for the August general election.