By Ben Cubby
What is happening in Alice Springs?
Alice Springs is undergoing a three-night curfew, imposed by the police chief following recent “civil disturbances” including large street brawls and assaults on off-duty police.
People are required to keep out of central Alice Springs between 10pm and 6am unless they have a compelling reason to be there such as work, attending an event or if they are seeking safety or medical care.
The curfew covers the entire central business district of Alice Springs but does not extend into the suburbs where the majority of the population lives. It will run from Monday to Wednesday night.
The Alice Springs town centre.Credit: Louie Douvis
Why a curfew?
Police cited “public disorder” as the reason for the curfew. Over the weekend the town saw a brawl involving 80 people, an assault on four off-duty police officers, a knife attack on a woman and a service station robbery.
“The offending and behaviour that we have seen over the last 96 hours will not be tolerated,” said the NT’s chief minister Eva Lawler.
It is thought to be the first time a general curfew has been applied in Australia due to civil unrest. A “youth curfew” was put in place for central Alice Springs in March following an earlier brawl and a series of assaults.
Violent brawls took place in Alice Springs in March after a group of young people attacked a local pub, the Todd Tavern.Credit: Nine News
What happens next?
Police Commissioner Michael Murphy enacted the rules based on territory laws introduced in May allowing the police chief to bring in 72-hour lockdowns, which can be extended at the discretion of the police minister.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said long-term investment was needed to address social problems in town camps around Alice Springs.
“The issues in Alice Springs have been a long time in the making and what people are calling the younger generation in the Northern Territory is the intervention generation where all agency was taken away from people,” Burney said.
Coalition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a former deputy mayor of Alice Springs, said young people in the town camps were growing up in a dysfunctional environment.
“I have no doubt there’ll be another snap curfew because the underlying problems aren’t fixed through a curfew,” she said.
A group of people of mixed ages walking in the central business area of Alice Springs at night. Credit: Kayte Geraghty
What could the federal government do?
The federal government could offer to deploy defence force or Australian Federal Police personnel to assist local authorities, though this would require the co-operation of the NT government.
Most policing and public safety measures, such as alcohol restrictions, are the responsibility of the territory government.
The federal government allocated $250 million in last year’s federal budget to improve social outcomes, safety and schooling in central Australia through a series of community-led programs.
Why are crime rates so high in Alice Springs?
The town has a long-standing crime problem, and has been subjected to a series of “crime waves” involving spikes in street violence and theft, and there have been periodic calls for federal intervention in recent years.
Widespread alcohol abuse is generally seen as a leading cause, coupled with chronic social disadvantage and intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities.
Crime rates reached a four-year low in 2023, though they were still high by national standards, after limited bans on alcohol sales were re-introduced.
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