Ian Leavers wants Mount Isa pubs to enforce NT alcohol bans

Queensland’s new border commissioner wants Northern Territory pub bans enforced in parts of Queensland to combat the scourge of alcohol and domestic violence abuse, with an MP backing the move.

Cross-border commissioner Ian Leavers

Cross-border commissioner Ian Leavers would like Northern Territory pub bans enforced in Queensland to combat the scourge of alcohol and domestic violence abuse in Mount Isa.

In his first committee briefing since his appointment six months ago, Mr Leavers said he was concerned about restricted Territorian residents gravitating to the remote mining capital to maintain their alcohol access.

He planned to meet with publicans about alcohol abuse, which he said increased the strain on local health services and was linked to a high rate of domestic violence in the city.

“I would like to see if Queensland could honour the banning notices that are issued in the Northern Territory, because the oversupply and consumption of alcohol by people on banning notices is not only causing a detriment to people in Mount Isa, it’s having an impact upon the health services,” Mr Leavers said.

“And those vulnerable people, their health is not what it should be.”

The former police union head said in his previous role he hoped for federal funding to build a border police facility to combat multiple social issues being overlooked when Northern Territory residents from communities such as Lake Nash travelled to Mount Isa.

Lack of shared data with the territory also risked domestic violence offenders being permitted to live with victims, while there could be concerns for child welfare in territory communities near the border where Queensland child services staff did not have authority to intervene.

But Mr Leavers, whose office operates on a $1.8m budget across three years, said he had no Northern Territory counterpart and that he would have to rebuild his contacts across the border.

He had a very good relationship with former NT commissioner Michael Murphy, who recently was removed from his job by the government.

“They’re a very small jurisdiction, but I think there is a bit of work to be done in the NT,” Mr Leavers said.

“What I’ll say in this role, Queensland generally picks up the slack for other jurisdictions.”

Mount Isa residents have been concerned about people lining up at central liquor stores before opening times each day, which they believed was linked to drunken and violent behaviour.

Mount Isa Mayor Peta MacRae said more data was needed as to where these people were coming from, despite long-held community assumptions they came from the NT.

But she had met with Mr Levers to speak on the community’s concerns, while she would be meeting with NT’s Barkly Mayor Sid Vashist next week about regional development.

Traeger MP Robbie Katter backed the cross border commissioner’s suggestion for publicans to enforce NT bans by labelling it a “common sense step forward”.

“Good to finally have some support on enforcing alcohol bans in Queensland,” Mr Katter said.

“For too long Mount Isa has copped the brunt of alcohol-fuelled violence and pressure on our health system.”

Originally published as Ian Leavers wants Mount Isa pubs to enforce NT alcohol bans