ED director Stephen Gourley warns that focusing only on alcohol and not the reasons why people drink — poverty, housing, education and jobs — will not fix the issues plaguing Alice Springs and the rest of the nation.
A leading emergency doctor in Alice Springs says governments must address the root causes of why people turn to alcohol and drink in excess, if any real progress is going to be made in dealing with the social issues affecting the town.
The report, which was given to both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles last week, is thought to detail responses to and policy advice on the Alice Springs crime wave and changes to alcohol sale laws, including bans and limited-access for some Indigenous communities.Dr Gourley said all levels of government "of every flavour" had initiated "well meaning" policies and interventions over successive decades, but none had worked.
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