Total alcohol ban won’t solve problems in Alice Springs, say Indigenous groups

A burnt-out car outside Alice Springs where Indigenous leaders say a total ban on alcohol will not fix its social problems. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

Alice Springs traditional owners have said that a total alcohol ban of the type suggested by Anthony Albanese will not address the root causes of the social issues engulfing the town.

While some elders have welcomed curbs on alcohol sales, local Indigenous leaders say “punitive” and race-based alcohol bans will do nothing to ease the problems in the area.