An alcohol ban will be reinstated for all Aboriginal town camps and communities in the Northern Territory until communities can vote whether or not to opt-out, under new legislation pledged by Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, while the Federal Government has promised $250 million for unspecified projects over an unspecified period of time in central Australia.
Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin has been charged for the second time in less than five months after allegedly driving with marijuana in his system again, sources have told the NT Independent.
The immediate reinstatement of alcohol bans in remote communities and town camps in Central Australia has been delayed following crisis talks between Chief Minister Natasha Fyles and the Prime Minister in Canberra, with the pair stating the report recommending the bans will be discussed by their respective cabinets next week and decisions made then.
A 53-year-old man is facing multiple drug charges after being pulled over south of Alice Springs on Wednesday morning where police allegedly found a quantity of meth, cannabis, Valium tablets and heroin.
ANALYSIS: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was right when he said this week that governments needed to do better for the Northern Territory and the NT Government now led by Labor Chief Minister Natasha Fyles needs to have its come to jesus moment after years of misusing federal Indigenous disadvantage money that has led to the recent troubles.
UPDATED: The Fyles Government must explain to Territorians what their plans are to cut funding for frontline police staff in the middle of a crime crisis, the Opposition, police union and an independent MLA say, after Police Minister Kate Worden was photographed with a secret memo that revealed proposed massive budget cuts to the NT Police over the next four years.
A confidential Cabinet document photographed in Police Minister Kate Worden’s hands appears to show the Fyles Government intends to cut the police budget in the middle of a crime crisis by $16 million next financial year and a staggering $31 million over the subsequent three financial years, with “frontline staff reductions” expected, the NT Independent can reveal.
Two males, aged 17 and 20, were charged with aggravated unlawful entries in two separate incidences in Alice Springs yesterday that involved the pair allegedly abusing seniors in their homes, NT Police said.
Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson says he is willing to give the Fyles Government’s new alcohol restrictions for the town a try, but that he’s concerned depriving alcoholics of grog for two days a week could lead to more break-ins and increased crime in the community – a community that was at “crisis point” a year ago, before the federal ban on drinking in communities ended. And he’s warning Darwin will be next.
UPDATED: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Alice Springs on Tuesday to hold meetings with community groups and police about the ongoing crime crisis that has exploded as a national issue in recent days, while the Chief Minister has announced new alcohol restrictions for everyone in Alice Springs for the next three months.
The debate over enshrining an Indigenous Voice in the Constitution is being impeded by the Alice Springs crime crisis, according to the Indigenous Labor member for the Northern Territory seat of Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour.
An 18-year-old man has been charged with two aggravated break-ins, as well as aggravated robbery, and aggravated assault for alleged crimes in Alice Springs, NT Police said, but it has given no details of the victim of the alleged assault, any injuries, or how the charged man was alleged to have assaulted them.
