Anthony Albanese may have only been in Alice Springs for a few hours, but his whirlwind visit in the face of growing political pressure over the town's soaring crime rates catapulted the issue to the top of the national agenda this week.
The underlying causes of the spike in property crimes and alcohol-fuelled violence are complex — and different depending on who you ask. So far the federal government has focused on restricting the availability of alcohol in the township.
Speaking to ABC Radio on Wednesday, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney described the measure as a "first step in what is a very complex problem, or set of problems, really".
