‘We have to come together’: alcohol bans alone won’t fix Alice Springs’ problems

A report on how to tackle the social unrest and violence in Alice Springs was delivered to the prime minister and the Northern Territory chief minister, who say they are considering its contents carefully. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

It’s been another tense and challenging week for the central Australian town of Alice Springs.

Local frustrations boiled over at an angry town meeting, where residents threatened to sue the Northern Territory government for more than a billion dollars. And a highly-anticipated report on how to tackle the rise in social unrest and violence in the town was delivered to the prime minister and the Northern Territory chief minister, who say they are considering its contents carefully.