Mr CONLAN - 2011-02-23
My question is to the Chief Minister, whose reputation and credibility is clearly in tatters on law and order in Alice Springs. We have already been told that those reports were made to police. I can inform the Chief Minister that numerous complaints that have come through my office have been made to police. He is well aware of the situation. The previous question alluded to a newspaper article; dismiss at your own peril as it made very serious claims. Here we have on the front page of the newspaper the actual grog house.
There has been a 90% increase in wholesale supply of alcohol in Alice Springs. The Chief Minister repeatedly told the people of Alice Springs that the government’s alcohol restrictions are for their own good, while the problem drunks and gangs are taking control of the streets in Alice Springs. Will you now face the truth: the current restrictions have done nothing to restrict the supply to problem drinkers? When will you get tough and put the resources on the ground and get the drunks off the street and into rehab?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is very clear that, if you are not tough on grog, you are weak on crime. That is where the Country Liberals are at the moment. Let us have a reality check. Every single night …
Mr Bohlin interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Be quiet.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale!
Mr HENDERSON: Every single night in Alice Springs and across our regional towns, the police lock up is full of people taken into protective custody. Every day, our courts are full of people on charges relating to committing offences whilst affected by alcohol. We have a record prison population in the Northern Territory per capita as a result of people committing offences whilst they are intoxicated and are abusing alcohol. If you are not going to turn the tap off grog to people who have a problem with grog, you are not going to reduce crime in the Northern Territory. That is the simple fact. Unless you take away the fuel which is firing the crime and antisocial behaviour, you are not going to reduce the crime. That is the fact.
All of the evidence shows – and the member for Sanderson with his lame comments on this serious issue, defies any belief in any research. We had the member for Brennan doing a lot of research in the debate on Cash for Containers. Google alcohol and violence – here is the Australian Institute of Criminology:
says a new study. The World Health Organisation:
That is just two. Just Google it! There will be hundreds and hundreds of studies which link, very clearly, excessive alcohol consumption and crime. The Country Liberals just want to run focus group research to demonise Indigenous people in Alice Springs and not attack …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The member for Fong Lim thinks it is funny. He thinks it is a joke. It is not a joke for the businesses which are being broken into. It is not a joke for the women who present to Alice Springs Hospital night after night as a result of alcohol and the link to violence. Yet, here you have a potential minister of the Crown, in a media release today, saying the link between violence and alcohol consumption is negligible.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
There has been a 90% increase in wholesale supply of alcohol in Alice Springs. The Chief Minister repeatedly told the people of Alice Springs that the government’s alcohol restrictions are for their own good, while the problem drunks and gangs are taking control of the streets in Alice Springs. Will you now face the truth: the current restrictions have done nothing to restrict the supply to problem drinkers? When will you get tough and put the resources on the ground and get the drunks off the street and into rehab?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is very clear that, if you are not tough on grog, you are weak on crime. That is where the Country Liberals are at the moment. Let us have a reality check. Every single night …
Mr Bohlin interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Be quiet.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale!
Mr HENDERSON: Every single night in Alice Springs and across our regional towns, the police lock up is full of people taken into protective custody. Every day, our courts are full of people on charges relating to committing offences whilst affected by alcohol. We have a record prison population in the Northern Territory per capita as a result of people committing offences whilst they are intoxicated and are abusing alcohol. If you are not going to turn the tap off grog to people who have a problem with grog, you are not going to reduce crime in the Northern Territory. That is the simple fact. Unless you take away the fuel which is firing the crime and antisocial behaviour, you are not going to reduce the crime. That is the fact.
All of the evidence shows – and the member for Sanderson with his lame comments on this serious issue, defies any belief in any research. We had the member for Brennan doing a lot of research in the debate on Cash for Containers. Google alcohol and violence – here is the Australian Institute of Criminology:
- Indigenous Australians are up to 20 times more likely to commit offences of violence, due overwhelmingly to alcohol abuse …
says a new study. The World Health Organisation:
- Harmful and hazardous alcohol use are risk factors both in being the victim and perpetuating violence.
That is just two. Just Google it! There will be hundreds and hundreds of studies which link, very clearly, excessive alcohol consumption and crime. The Country Liberals just want to run focus group research to demonise Indigenous people in Alice Springs and not attack …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The member for Fong Lim thinks it is funny. He thinks it is a joke. It is not a joke for the businesses which are being broken into. It is not a joke for the women who present to Alice Springs Hospital night after night as a result of alcohol and the link to violence. Yet, here you have a potential minister of the Crown, in a media release today, saying the link between violence and alcohol consumption is negligible.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016