Ms WALKER - 2013-03-28
You scrapped the alcohol courts and tribunal and have replaced them with nothing. As a result, you are now unable to prevent a repeat drunk from spending all their welfare on alcohol. Why do you believe drunks should be able to spend all their welfare money on alcohol? This is the policy you have implemented. Will you immediately agree to allow the alcohol courts to continue so they can stop repeat drunks from spending all their welfare on grog, until such time as you have put a replacement in place?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for her question. I do not accept the premise of the question. The alcohol courts have not been discontinued. I said in my last answer that the Minister for Alcohol Rehabilitation will be making an announcement quite soon.
The Banned Drinker Register - being a member who lives in Alice Springs which is where the heart of this broader issue is - you want to talk about banning people from buying takeaway alcohol, not banning people from drinking. Do you know what happened in Alice Springs? Property crime went up. The biggest seller was chains to put on your bar fridge in your back yard because people …
Mr Conlan: It happened three times to me.
Mr GILES: The member for Greatorex was broken into three times. You might have stopped the purchase of takeaway alcohol for some people, but you did not stop the supply through criminal measures or access to alcohol through other legal measures. People were still drinking. With the tricks of someone else buying alcohol for you, it did not address the problem.
When people have a substance abuse problem, the problem is the demand side of the equation. We have to help those people who have a substance abuse problem. For people who live in Alice Springs - I know this is a Territory-wide issue, but my colleagues, the members for Greatorex, Araluen, Namatjira, and Stuart, and I know that property crime went through the roof, because everyone’s house was being broken into to access alcohol.
The Gillen Club or the Town and Country Tavern, which has closed now, were being broken into three, four, and five times a night and the alcohol raided from their shops and bars. This is what was happening with your banning of alcohol. Then we filled the gaols up because people were breaking in to get grog. It was not dealing with the issue or the problem.
People on this side of the Chamber care about people who have substance abuse issues, and we want to treat those people.
I move to another point, Leader of the Opposition. If you really want an answer, a number of years ago the then minister for Health federally, Tony Abbott, brought about Opal fuel to address chronic petrol sniffing issues. It was a fantastic measure and it really addressed the issue. The people who were sniffing petrol had a substance abuse problem. There has been no study done to date about where those people who had that substance abuse problem went. Did they replace petrol with alcohol, marijuana, or anything else?
People have a problem with substance abuse. It is a demand issue. We are trying to address the demand issue. We want to rehabilitate people and give them an opportunity for the rest of their lives, and to reconnect with their families.
We will be making an announcement very soon. We want to help people, and that is what it is all about.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for her question. I do not accept the premise of the question. The alcohol courts have not been discontinued. I said in my last answer that the Minister for Alcohol Rehabilitation will be making an announcement quite soon.
The Banned Drinker Register - being a member who lives in Alice Springs which is where the heart of this broader issue is - you want to talk about banning people from buying takeaway alcohol, not banning people from drinking. Do you know what happened in Alice Springs? Property crime went up. The biggest seller was chains to put on your bar fridge in your back yard because people …
Mr Conlan: It happened three times to me.
Mr GILES: The member for Greatorex was broken into three times. You might have stopped the purchase of takeaway alcohol for some people, but you did not stop the supply through criminal measures or access to alcohol through other legal measures. People were still drinking. With the tricks of someone else buying alcohol for you, it did not address the problem.
When people have a substance abuse problem, the problem is the demand side of the equation. We have to help those people who have a substance abuse problem. For people who live in Alice Springs - I know this is a Territory-wide issue, but my colleagues, the members for Greatorex, Araluen, Namatjira, and Stuart, and I know that property crime went through the roof, because everyone’s house was being broken into to access alcohol.
The Gillen Club or the Town and Country Tavern, which has closed now, were being broken into three, four, and five times a night and the alcohol raided from their shops and bars. This is what was happening with your banning of alcohol. Then we filled the gaols up because people were breaking in to get grog. It was not dealing with the issue or the problem.
People on this side of the Chamber care about people who have substance abuse issues, and we want to treat those people.
I move to another point, Leader of the Opposition. If you really want an answer, a number of years ago the then minister for Health federally, Tony Abbott, brought about Opal fuel to address chronic petrol sniffing issues. It was a fantastic measure and it really addressed the issue. The people who were sniffing petrol had a substance abuse problem. There has been no study done to date about where those people who had that substance abuse problem went. Did they replace petrol with alcohol, marijuana, or anything else?
People have a problem with substance abuse. It is a demand issue. We are trying to address the demand issue. We want to rehabilitate people and give them an opportunity for the rest of their lives, and to reconnect with their families.
We will be making an announcement very soon. We want to help people, and that is what it is all about.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016