The Australian Government is working in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and local communities to take action in response to the urgent challenges facing Alice Springs.
The Northern Territory Government will introduce immediate temporary restrictions on alcohol sales as a circuit-breaker measure to improve community safety in Central Australia.
The Northern Territory and Australian Governments have also agreed to appoint a Central Australian Regional Controller, Dorrelle Anderson, to lead consultation with communities regarding the reintroduction of alcohol restrictions and an opt out system for individual communities. This consultation will conclude by February 1st.
The Australian Government will invest $48.8m over two years in Alice Springs to tackle crime, keep women and children safe and provide support to young people in communities.
The plan to improve community safety in Alice Springs includes:
- $14.2 in additional funding for extra high visibility Police and law enforcement operations including targeting grog running, and increasing liquor licensing compliance inspectors and boosting security guards in public places.
- A $2m investment to improve CCTV, lighting and safety measures throughout Alice Springs.
- $5.6m for additional emergency accommodation and safe spaces to give young people a place to go to at night and boost the effectiveness of the night patrol program which starts in February and will help get young people off the streets.
- $2m for the Tangentyre Women's Council to boost Domestic Violence services.
- Providing $25m to extend funding for safety and community services which are currently scheduled to end in June 2023 to provide certainty to providers and their employees and ensure this work continues.
The Australian Government has already targeted investment in Central Australia in the 2022-23 Budget including justice, health, community safety, infrastructure and housing.
Justice reinvestment
- $99 million for First Nations justice measures, including $81.5 million in funding for up to 30 community-led justice reinvestment initiatives across Australia, with Alice Springs identified as a priority site.
Indigenous Health
- $19 million for First Nations health infrastructure projects in Central Australia in partnership with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. This includes funding for the rebuild of the Muṯitjulu Health Service Clinic, funding for renovations of the Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) Clinic, and funding for a new health hub in Alice Springs.
Community Safety and Support
- $20 million for Gap Youth Centre and other youth services in Alice Springs, to continue to provide hands on support.
- $15 million provided to the Northern Territory Government under the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence National Partnership Agreement, to support family, domestic, and sexual violence responses and ensure women and children can access the support they need to live free of violence
Indigenous housing
- $100 million for housing and essential services in Northern Territory Homelands with an immediate boost of $25 million and a further $75 million allocated in 2023-24
By listening to and working in partnership with local communities, these circuit-breaker measures will improve community safety on the ground in Alice Springs.
We remain focused on working in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and local communities, because we know that the best solutions come from local communities themselves.