Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton urges PM to visit Alice Springs amid crime increase

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is urging the prime minister to visit Alice Springs in coming days as the Central Australian town experiences an uptick in crime. 

Pressure has been building on both the federal and Northern Territory governments to take further action on the issue.

The latest crime statistics for Alice Springs, released by Northern Territory Police last week, show a 43 per cent increase in assaults in the 12 months to November 30 last year.

It includes a 53 per cent increase in domestic violence-related assaults and a 54 per cent increase in alcohol-related assaults.

There was also a 55 per cent increase in commercial break-ins and 59 per cent increase in reports of property damage over the same period.

“It’s completely unacceptable,” Mr Dutton said at a press conference this morning.

“The prime minister should have been there by now, but he should go tomorrow and I would be happy to travel with him.

“If the level of violence, of crime, of sexual assault, of domestic and family violence was occurring in Brisbane or in Melbourne or in Hobart or in Sydney, there would be outrage.”

Mr Dutton, who visited Alice Springs in December, said he believed the crisis was “beyond the resources of the Northern Territory government”.

The Liberal leader also took aim at the Northern Territory’s Police Minister Kate Worden, calling her positions on the issue “out of touch” while praising Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson for bringing the issue into the national spotlight.

Ms Worden last week hit back at Mr Dutton’s comments about crime, accusing the federal opposition of “playing politics” with the issue.

Governments under pressure to take action

The ABC contacted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office at the weekend, seeking comment on calls for him to visit Central Australia.

In response, a spokeswoman for the federal government said reports of increasing crime rates were “concerning”.

“We are focused on working in partnership with the NT government and the local community, because we know that the best solutions come from local communities themselves,” the spokeswoman said.

“The Commonwealth is funding a $14 million community safety and well-being supports in Alice Springs, while also making significant investments as part of our Plan for Central Australia.”

The spokeswoman said Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney visited the region as recently as November last year.

Last week, the Northern Territory’s Attorney-General Chansey Paech said the government was listening to residents’ concerns about escalating rates of assault and property offences.

He said the NT government was focused on “realistic ideas”, including the installation of shatter-proof glass and automatic bollards on some of the city’s streets.

Bottle shops put purchase limits in place

Amid escalating rates of alcohol-related violence, retail groups in Alice Springs last week announced purchase limits on a number of products.

They include removing one-litre bottles of spirits from shelves and limiting shoppers to six bottles of wine per day.

This is in addition to a series of longstanding measures in force across the territory, including a floor price on alcohol, the use of a Banned Drinkers Register and stationing of Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors in bottle shops. 

Peter Burnheim from the Association of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies NT said the NT government had done “a lot in the supply reduction space” with little result.

“We need a bigger investment in both demand and harm reduction and treatment services, in community education and community supports,” he said.

“Until we really focus on a holistic response to alcohol, we’re going to continue to see these problems.”