Action for Alice founder Darren Clark calls for the Opposition leader to address ‘root causes’ of crime

Increasing funding to tackle the ‘root causes’ of crime, a visit to a bottleshop ‘just to see what goes on’, and more: Read what Action for Alice founder would like so see the opposition leader do in Alice Springs.

Alice Springs. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Action for Alice founder Darren Clark says he wants to see Opposition Leader Peter Dutton spend his time on the ground in Alice Springs by going to a bottleshop to “see what goes on”, and to talk to crime-affected residents.

With Mr Dutton in town on Wednesday, Mr Clark said he wants Mr Dutton to address the “root causes” of crime, while Alice Springs Town Councillor Michael Liddle wants him to visit a “five star” rehabilitation clinic.

Action for Alice founder Darren Clark. Photo: EMMA MURRAY

Mr Clark said he wants Mr Dutton “walk up the streets” and talk to locals affected by crime, and called for the Opposition Leader to visit a bottle shop on Wednesday afternoon to “see what goes on”.

Currently in Alice Springs bottle shops are only open from 3pm to 7pm, and are shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. 

“I think he should be going to somewhere like the Yeperenye shopping centre (on Wednesday) when the bottle-o is open,” Mr Clark said.

“Just to see what goes on in there and how the retailers operate their business at that time because not many politicians go in there actually at that time to witness the happenings.

Police presence as cars line-up at the 3pm opening of the Gap View Hotel bottle shop in Alice Springs. Picture Mark Brake

“I think we, you know, make that quite clear but we need to see the impact that the line-ups and the congregations have.”

Mr Clark said “root causes” of crime in Alice Springs could be addressed if rehabilitation services such as Drug and Alcohol Services Australia (DASA) copped an increase in funding – something he’d like to see Mr Dutton announce while he visits Alice Springs on Wednesday.

“I think DASA here, DASA is very, very underfunded and it’s got one of the only methamphetamine units in Australia,” Mr Clark said.

Meth is set to become “the next big, big problem” in Alice Springs, according to Mr Clark.

“It’s rising and rising every week, and it will be another crisis that this town will go through if it’s not hit in the head,” he said.

Mr Liddle, an Alyawarre man and also a Central Australian Aboriginal Congress male cultural lead, called on Mr Dutton to visit the “five star” Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programs Unit (CAAPU).

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress male cultural lead and Alice Springs Town Councillor Michael Liddle. . Picture: Gera Kazakov

“We get hardly no politicians visiting CAAPU … not even the local politicians visit CAAPU,” he said.

Mr Liddle called the program the best in the Territory.

Mr Dutton’s visit comes as Operation Ludlow – the town’s latest policing which ran during summer school holidays – enters its final week.

Police officers from South Australia were also sent to Alice Springs to patrol during the operation – which was due to end January 29 – but was extended to February 3.

Further on his wishlist, Mr Clark hoped for some infrastructure announcements to “improve the (Alice Springs) and put investment in the town, create more employment.”

He also hoped remote communities would get some support through small business stimulus packages – “but not training for trainings sake,” he said.

“You have to have a business or a job there for the training because there’s no point training people up and giving them a certificate if they’re never going to use those qualifications and they have a certificate to put on their wall.”

Originally published as Action for Alice founder Darren Clark calls for the Opposition leader to address ‘root causes’ of crime