THE SQUIZ

Coalition leader Peter Dutton has called on PM Anthony Albanese to join him for a visit to Alice Springs today to talk to locals about the effect increasing crime is having on the town and its 26,000 people. Last week, Alice Springs Mayor Matt Patterson met with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to ask for help from the Australian Federal Police or the military, but the request was denied. Dutton backs the mayor’s request, saying 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”. On the weekend, PM Anthony Albanese’s office said that increasing crime rates were “concerning”, but his team have pointed to policing as a matter for the NT Government to manage.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THERE?

To the numbers… NT Police data released last week shows sharp increases in assaults (up 43%), domestic violence (up 53%), commercial break-ins (up 55%) and property damage (up 59%) in the 12 months to November 2022. Reports say on most nights, “hundreds of kids” are wandering around the streets and drinking alcohol. Mayor Paterson told The Australian, “Alice Springs needs help; the kids need help”. Marion Scrymgour has departed from her boss’s script – she’s the Labor MP for Lingiari, which covers Alice Springs. She’s urged action, saying it won’t be long before someone is “seriously hurt” – that follows reports of teens and adults brandishing machetes, metal poles and other weapons. Scrymgour says since alcohol became legal in many Aboriginal town camps in July, she’s seen “lawlessness and disrespect” grow exponentially.

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

Dutton’s visit to Alice Springs today follows one in December – he’s expected to continue his push for federal intervention, saying the crisis is “beyond the resources” of the NT Government. Let’s see if Team Albanese changes their response, given all the attention on what’s happening there… And we don’t need to remind you, but this is all happening as we head towards Australia Day and amid the push for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Indigenous academic/activist Noel Pearson says this year – and the upcoming referendum – is about reconciliation. But Scrymgour says until the problems in Central Australian communities are addressed, “no one’s going to be interested in having a discussion about Change the Date, let alone the Voice”.