Dr LIM - 2000-08-09
My question relates to alcohol in Alice Springs. This report, Dollars Made From Broken Spirits, was released in Alice Springs about a month ago. The content, to say the least, is emotive It has created great division in the Alice Springs community. What will be the government response to this report?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I understand that this report …
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, this report …
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, for the third time, if the opposition would stop interjecting, I understand that this report, entitled Dollars Made From Broken Spirits, was released to the public on 12 July. This was a report commissioned by Alice Springs Town Council following a proposal to Territory Health Services for funding to have an independent analysis provided to the Liquor Commission on the situation with regard to alcohol abuse and antisocial behaviour in various sectors. I understand that the committee’s report recommends actions in four areas - from the Territory government, the Licensing Commission and the community of Alice Springs, and technical assistance to support the implementation and monitoring of the recommendations.
I also understand that there was a meeting last night of Alice Springs Council and the report findings have not been totally embraced by council. That leads me to the government’s position at this stage. From my reading of aspects of the report, the emotiveness of the language and the unbalanced nature of the language I find quite distressing from a supposedly professional organisation.
In terms of scientific analysis, the data sample was I think up to 1000 people from the whole of the Alice Springs population of about 24 000. While that might be a reasonable sample from a scientific point of view, certainly the nature of the questions that were asked and the recommendations that followed those particular questions I find quite unbalanced and quite unscientific. What they did essentially was ask a series of questions and then made recommendations based on the majority answers to those questions.
It is analogous to asking everyone a question like, ‘Do you like Vegemite’? I am sure most people would say yes, but that would not translate to a recommendation that you must eat Vegemite five days a week, every three hours, which essentially is the way the recommendations flow in this report.
As I said, I find the recommendations quite unbalanced and quite unscientific. I believe they are not indicative of the opinion of the Alice Springs community, but I am prepared to be convinced.
To my mind, the committee could have been far more honest. Rather than suggesting that Alice Springs has a problem, they could say that there is a sector of the population who are essentially itinerants, who have a major problem in Alice Springs. I do not believe that that problem needs to be translated in terms of restrictions across the whole of the community.
I am sure some members of the Alice Springs community may not be aware of some of those restriction recommendations. For example, they may not be aware that a Thursday grog-free day is being proposed, with the possibility of a Sunday grog-free day as well.
The government’s position at this stage is this: Alice Springs Council commissioned the report. Alice Springs Council needs to be fully engaged in terms of a recommendation by council to government with regard to their opinion of that report. That in itself will not provide satisfaction to this government. I expect to see wide community consultation including a whole range of stakeholders from the business community and other interest groups, and the Minister for Central Australia, Loraine Braham, taking carriage of the issue for the government to coordinate the departmental response through a Cabinet submission in due course to the government. From that we will provide a holistic response to all of the recommendations.
Essentially the effort at this stage lies with the Alice Springs community and predominately Alice Springs Town Council.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I understand that this report …
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, this report …
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, for the third time, if the opposition would stop interjecting, I understand that this report, entitled Dollars Made From Broken Spirits, was released to the public on 12 July. This was a report commissioned by Alice Springs Town Council following a proposal to Territory Health Services for funding to have an independent analysis provided to the Liquor Commission on the situation with regard to alcohol abuse and antisocial behaviour in various sectors. I understand that the committee’s report recommends actions in four areas - from the Territory government, the Licensing Commission and the community of Alice Springs, and technical assistance to support the implementation and monitoring of the recommendations.
I also understand that there was a meeting last night of Alice Springs Council and the report findings have not been totally embraced by council. That leads me to the government’s position at this stage. From my reading of aspects of the report, the emotiveness of the language and the unbalanced nature of the language I find quite distressing from a supposedly professional organisation.
In terms of scientific analysis, the data sample was I think up to 1000 people from the whole of the Alice Springs population of about 24 000. While that might be a reasonable sample from a scientific point of view, certainly the nature of the questions that were asked and the recommendations that followed those particular questions I find quite unbalanced and quite unscientific. What they did essentially was ask a series of questions and then made recommendations based on the majority answers to those questions.
It is analogous to asking everyone a question like, ‘Do you like Vegemite’? I am sure most people would say yes, but that would not translate to a recommendation that you must eat Vegemite five days a week, every three hours, which essentially is the way the recommendations flow in this report.
As I said, I find the recommendations quite unbalanced and quite unscientific. I believe they are not indicative of the opinion of the Alice Springs community, but I am prepared to be convinced.
To my mind, the committee could have been far more honest. Rather than suggesting that Alice Springs has a problem, they could say that there is a sector of the population who are essentially itinerants, who have a major problem in Alice Springs. I do not believe that that problem needs to be translated in terms of restrictions across the whole of the community.
I am sure some members of the Alice Springs community may not be aware of some of those restriction recommendations. For example, they may not be aware that a Thursday grog-free day is being proposed, with the possibility of a Sunday grog-free day as well.
The government’s position at this stage is this: Alice Springs Council commissioned the report. Alice Springs Council needs to be fully engaged in terms of a recommendation by council to government with regard to their opinion of that report. That in itself will not provide satisfaction to this government. I expect to see wide community consultation including a whole range of stakeholders from the business community and other interest groups, and the Minister for Central Australia, Loraine Braham, taking carriage of the issue for the government to coordinate the departmental response through a Cabinet submission in due course to the government. From that we will provide a holistic response to all of the recommendations.
Essentially the effort at this stage lies with the Alice Springs community and predominately Alice Springs Town Council.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016