Alice Springs chaos shows why Indigenous Voice to Parliament won't work, says ... trends now
Nationals leader David Littleproud has accused Anthony Albanese of bringing on the law and order crisis in Alice Springs by not listening to the community claiming it shows why an Indigenous Voice to Parliament will fail.
Mr Littleproud pulled no punches as he said the prime minister and Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney had failed to listen to the Northern Territory's Alice Springs community on the 'foreseen' consequences of lifting Indigenous alcohol sale bans.
'They were warned on the ninth of June by community groups in Alice Springs to the minister saying "do not remove, the community is not ready",' Mr Littleproud told Sky News on Sunday.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud has laid the blame for the escalating crime situation in Alice Springs squarely at the feet of the Prime Minister and Minister for Indigenous Affairs
'Anthony Albanese wants a Voice? Well he didn’t listen before. It took a crisis for him to get on a plane and get out there.'
In response to the scenes of chaos coming out of Alice Springs, Mr Albanese made an impromptu visit on Tuesday.
Mr Albanese blamed the previous Coalition Government, led by Scott Morrison, for allowing alcohol restrictions to expire.
Alcohol restriction legislation expired in July, two months into Mr Albanese's time as prime minister, however parliament had not yet sat by the time they ended.
Since the 10-year Stronger Futures program - which restricted access to alcohol in a bid to tackle social issues - ended, the Alice Springs region has grappled with skyrocketing crime rates with bottle shops ransacked and youths wielding machetes running amok.
The outbreak of lawlessness at Alice Springs, as illustrated by this brawl outside a supermarket, has become a hot button issue nationally
Mr Littleproud said Mr Albanese's rushed trip, where he spent four hours talking to community and government representatives, showed why the Indigenous Voice to Parliament was the wrong approach.
'You don’t need a Voice, you need politicians who do their job and get the bureaucracy to do what you tell them to,' he said.
Mr Littleproud also called on the Albanese government to reintroduce the cashless debit card, which restricts the purchase of alcohol with
