Alice Springs curfew shines spotlight on the town's homelessness crisis, services say
By Charmayne Allison and Jane BardonIn short:
Frontline services have voiced concerns for people sleeping rough in Alice Springs as the town approaches its third night of a 72-hour snap curfew.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy says about 5,000 extra people have travelled to the outback town in recent weeks.
What's next?
The NT government says there have been "no reports" of increased homelessness in Alice Springs, and says people sleeping rough can still access services during the curfew.
Tonight, when the sun goes down in Alice Springs and the frost sets in, Hartley Clothler will make his bed next to the train lines.
The Pitjantjatjara man has been sleeping rough there for a while now.
It's the only safe resting place he can find while he's in town visiting his daughter, who is in prison.
"When there was cloud there, the rain — I slept there anyway," he said.
"Everybody's getting sick. Wind is cold.
"Making people sad, you know."
He's not the only one.
Hartley says many others are battling homelessness in Alice Springs — most sleeping on the sands of the Todd River — as they visit town for the school holidays and major events.
As Alice Springs approaches its third and potentially final night of a snap 72-hour curfew declared in response to recent violence in the town, frontline services say they're deeply concerned for those sleeping rough.
According to Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy, about 5,000 extra people have travelled to Alice Springs in recent weeks.
Most are from surrounding Indigenous communities, where poverty and neglect are at crisis levels.
Commissioner Murphy said this flood of visitors was "one of the main risks" in the CBD at this time.
"A lot of them don't have safe places to sleep, so they're in public places, [near] the river," he said.
"So that's what we need to focus on and work with NGOs and other government agencies to make sure they're looked after."
NT Police said the Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation and NT government were working to support rough sleepers.
Flyers are also being distributed in the community by Tangentyere Council, offering a free service for a limited time to get people back to their communities.
Remote visitors adding pressure to overcrowded housing
Arrernte leader William Tilmouth is the chair of Children's Ground, an Aboriginal-owned organisation working to support children and families in Central Australia.
He said the NT government "didn't plan" for an anticipated influx of families from remote Aboriginal communities visiting Alice Springs during the school holidays.
Every year in July, crowds flock to the town to celebrate NAIDOC Week, Territory Day and the Alice Springs Show.
"That should have been pre-empted. Let's be real, it's that sort of month," he said.
Mr Tilmouth said many families who travel to Alice Springs from remote communities often didn't have anywhere to stay.
"They fall back on the goodwill of families who are already overcrowded and living in very destitute situations," he said.
"It's a formula for disaster."
Housing, family tensions boiling over into violence
Mr Clothler said he preferred to sleep rough rather than stay in a house with family or friends, where tensions could reach a fever pitch due to desperate overcrowding.
"Everybody coming in and out, in and out. Drunk family," he said.
"Some people come and they fight. It's just not good."
He claimed recent violence in the town was largely due to unresolved payback between families from surrounding communities, inflamed by alcohol.
He feared this was leaving many children in a vulnerable position.
"The mother and father, they drink and fight and that's why the kids run away, and they look for other troubles," he said.
Domestic violence researcher, Chay Brown, said Alice Springs needed a coordinated approach for managing the rollout of the Commonwealth's $250 million rescue package, which includes funding for domestic violence and youth services.
"My understanding is a lot has not been allocated and a lot has not hit the ground," Dr Brown said.
"We really needed a community-led co-designed approach to where that money should go, and that never happened.
"We've had communities left behind and as a result, none of us know what's going on."
In a statement, a spokesperson from the NT's Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities said there were "no reports of increased homelessness in Alice Springs" and said people sleeping rough could continue to access services during the curfew.
"Alice Springs typically sees a higher number of people from remote communities at this time of year, many of whom choose to camp while visiting the Alice Springs Show, taking part in NAIDOC events and enjoying school holidays," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said Territory Families had provided funding for additional beds at a visitor park in Alice Springs, where people sleeping rough can access essential services.
"Although intended for short stays, the visitor parks address situational homelessness, filling the gap created by the scarcity of appropriate housing options," they said.
Chief minister says curfew 'working', may be extended
The three-night curfew in Alice Springs is currently scheduled to lift at 6am on Thursday, but NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler flagged a possible extension.
"That decision will be made either later today or tomorrow morning around whether we need to extend," she said.
"But the reports that I've had is the curfew is working. It has settled down Alice Springs."
Ms Lawler conceded that the curfew was a "stopgap measure" with ongoing work needed to address the underlying issues of crime in the town.
"It is not a long-term strategy," she said.
"It is but one string to the bow that police can have to absolutely get on top of crime in the areas of Alice Springs."