Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently traveled to Alice Springs after the conclusion of a youth curfew that had been enforced due to a period of social unrest and violent occurrences. The Northern Territory government had invoked emergency powers to deploy additional police and impose the curfew, prohibiting children under 18 from being in the town center between 6 pm and 6 am without a valid reason.
Accompanied by Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour, Prime Minister Albanese toured the new health hub being established by the Central Australia Aboriginal Congress. The hub, funded by $5 million from the federal government, aims to consolidate four health services into one facility in Alice Springs to enhance programs for the youngest residents of the Northern Territory. Additionally, the Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced $14.2 million in funding from the Commonwealth to enhance policing and community safety support in Alice Springs, in addition to the existing $250 million funding package for Central Australia from the federal government.
Prime Minister Albanese previously visited Alice Springs in January 2023 during a local crime wave, after which the federal government pledged the $250 million funding to tackle various social issues in Central Australia. The four-year plan focuses on areas such as youth diversion and engagement, job creation, remote service delivery, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and family support including domestic violence services and on-country learning. To date, allocations have been made towards various initiatives including infrastructure projects, remote training hubs, family and community safety programs, on-country learning, First Nations health outcomes, a youth services action plan, junior ranger sites, and resources for plan implementation.