Territory alcohol bans over

DOZENS of Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory will have access to alcohol for the first time in 15 years when intervention-era legislation ends later this year.

Restrictions were implemented in 2007 under the NT Emergency Response – known as the NT Intervention – which banned alcohol on Aboriginal land, including community living areas and all town camps.

Those constraints continued under the federal government’s Stronger Futures law which began in 2012 and is due to end on July 17 this year.

The Territory’s Labor government on Tuesday passed a Bill that allows communities to choose their approach to restrictions – a move that critics say is likely to lead to an increase in alcohol consumption in remote communities.

Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency chief Priscilla Atkins says having alcohol in remote communities would put more pressure on the police, domestic violence services and justice services.

“You need to question who benefits from this? It’s not Territorians. It’s not the community. It’s the people selling alcohol,” she told ABC Radio.