The Northern Territory government has announced a three-month trial of takeaway liquor restrictions in Alice Springs will be extended for another three months.
The restrictions were first announced in January after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew into Alice Springs following widespread media attention on the town's crime rates.
Northern Territory's chief minister, Natasha Fyles, told ABC Radio Alice Springs on Thursday that the measures had proved to be hugely effective in curbing alcohol-related harm.
The move comes as leaked hospital data recently revealed alcohol-related emergency department presentations at Alice Springs Hospital almost halved in the month since the rules were introduced.
Meanwhile, domestic violence incidents have dropped by a third.
"We are controlling the supply of alcohol to make Alice Springs vibrant and safe," Ms Fyles said.
Restrictions receive community support
The restrictions have received support across the community, with key stakeholders arguing for some or all of the restrictions to remain in place.
Some have also called for rules to be tightened further, including the introduction of a volume cap, and tightening bottle shop hours on Saturdays.
However, the chief minister said, the restrictions would remain the same.
"This is something we've worked on, we've thought long and hard about, we've looked at the data, we've spoken to representative from industry, from police, health, the community," she said.
Customers will be allowed one sale per person per day, with alcohol-free days continuing on Mondays and Tuesdays for takeaway purchases.
Bottle shop opening hours will continue to be capped, with alcohol sales only permitted between 3pm and 7pm, excluding on Saturdays.
Northern Territory federal MP Marion Scrymgour welcomed the extension, saying it was necessary for more work to be done in Alice Springs.
"I think that we still haven't worked through some of the issues," she said.
"This allows the Northern Territory government to continue some of the work with those town camps who are affected by those restrictions by looking at alcohol management plans, but also looking at harm minimisation across those communities, given some of the issues that we're seeing impacting on Alice Springs."
People's Alcohol Action Coalition spokesman John Boffa said the takeaway alcohol limits had significantly reduced crime and anti-social behaviour in the town.
"We've written to government asking for 12 months, we don't think three months is enough," he said.
"If these improvements are sustained, why would we go back, why wouldn't we keep it?"
Michael Liddle, an Alice Springs councillor, also said the restrictions should remain in place longer than three months to have a real impact.
"I think we really need to tighten the screws around this stuff and say 'No', when people come to the territory, 'These are the territory rules and they have restrictions around alcohol'," he said.
Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said the decision had not come as a surprise and the industry was "ready to do our part".
Just weeks after these restrictions were rolled out in Alice Springs, the Northern Territory government moved to reinstate long-term alcohol bans in dozens of remote territory communities and town camps.
The liquor bans were allowed to lapse in mid-2022, with little consultation or support from the federal or territory governments to help deal with the transition.
Six months later, the Northern Territory government moved to reinstate them, following a surge in crime and hospital presentations in the outback town.
Calls for clarity on funding
This comes as Tourism Central Australia announced this week that the start of this year's tourism season was down 30 per cent on 2019, the last proper tourism season.
The chief minister said this had been considered in the decision to extend restrictions.
"I think the bigger impact is the reputation, the antisocial behaviour, the imaging that sadly has gone around Australia, so we're focused on tackling that," she said.
Mr Bruce said with visitor numbers already so low, it was unlikely the ongoing restrictions would have a big impact on tourism.
"The tourism picture in Central Australia is already negative, and getting impacted from all of the crime and antisocial behaviour that has made national headlines," he said.
"I'm not too sure that turning the bottle shops back on Monday or Tuesday would have fixed that negative message."
Ms Fyles said the government would continue to closely monitor data on the liquor restrictions in Alice Springs, and would "remain agile" with policy settings.
Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price recently told the ABC this continued scrutiny was crucial, warning that it was too early to draw conclusions.
This extension to restrictions comes as locals continue to call for clarity around how the Northern Territory government will spend $250 million from the Commonwealth, aimed at addressing social issues in the town.
Federal Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour has confirmed the funding injection will appear in the upcoming federal budget, but there are still no details on how it will be distributed.
The Northern Territory government has never admitted responsibility for the fallout from the bans lifting, consistently blaming the former Coalition government in Canberra for letting them lapse.
