There’s no town like Alice – or is there?

There can be no doubt that the problems in Alice Springs are extreme, to say the least, but similar problems exist on Indigenous, remote and rural communities right throughout Australia.

Nor is the problem confined to Indigenous people. It is happening right across the community.

Alice Springs has come to the forefront in recent times because it is a large town of 27,000 people, and it is the most visible in trying to do something about the problems it is facing.

The problem in Alice Springs is that successive Australian governments have offered only sort term and band aid solutions to what is happening, without addressing the real issues.

As example, it has been proposed that bans be put on alcohol sales, seemingly with the belief that this will solve the problems.

Little has been put forward to address the other problems of lack of health services, lack of education facilities, a housing crisis, high unemployment, low wages, poverty, domestic violence and 200 years of failed policy concerning Indigenous Australians.

These problems have led to an increase in youth crime right throughout Australia, mostly in Indigenous, remote and rural communities, but also in the larger towns and even the cities.

Queensland is currently in the process of changing laws to address youth crime, which is running rampant across the state. Last August, NSW set up anti-violence programs in their schools to address the issues of youth crime. In December, Victorian police reported that youth crime had risen to an all time high.

In November, there was a lot of concern in the media about the rise in youth crime in South Australia, with police claiming there was no problem, but refusing to release statistics to prove it. In October, the focus was on Western Australia, with the state government starting a review into youth crime in that state, particularly in Indigenous, remote and rural communities.

Back in June last year, the Tasmanian government were struggling to find ways to deal with youth crime, and became the first state in Australia to lift incarceration age from 10 years of age to 14, believing this would fix the problem. Even this week in the ACT, they are discussing changes to legislation to address the rising rates in youth crime.

Over the last six months, the focus has moved from one state to the other about youth crime rates, and this month it is the Northern Territory’s turn.

Instead of shifting the focus, the state and federal governments need to work together to address the problem on a national scale.

While alcohol is certainly a problem, one must first look at why it is a problem. Alcohol and drug abuse generally seems most prevalent amongst those from marginalised sections of the community, and those at the lower end of the socio-economic scale. It is not confined to these groups, but this is where the major problems lie.

It would seem prudent, therefore, to change the circumstances that lead to alcohol and drug abuse. Top amongst these would be to reduce poverty by increasing employment opportunities and providing affordable housing. These are problems that exist in all towns and cities, but are most pronounced in Indigenous, remote and rural communities.

To increase employment opportunities, we need to improve education and training opportunities. Disproportionate amounts of tax payer money is thrown at private schools and schools in the cities, while little is apportioned to schools and training facilities in Indigenous, remote and rural communities.

It is the same with health services. When people in Indigenous, remote and rural communities face health problems, they do not have the services they need,. They have to rely on travelling great distances to get to them, or waiting for expensive private contractors to visit at irregular intervals.

And, of course, there is the main problem – 200 years of failed government policies, particularly with regards to the Indigenous people. These policies have, in the past, included extermination, assimilation, integration and many other less than favourable “solutions” to what governments have seen as “the Aboriginal problem.”

They have also led to a culture in Australian society where there is enormous division between Indigenous people and the wider community, and this is a real problem the government needs to address.

Let’s return to banning alcohol sales to Indigenous people. There is outrage amongst the wider community that this is racist. Indeed, it would be if it was simply imposed on them by a government and they had no say in the matter. The reality is, however, that Indigenous leaders are actually calling for these bans to be reimposed.

Most Indigenous communities already have complete or partial self-imposed bans on alcohol, and Alice Springs is the odd man out in this respect. So let’s stop playing the racism card and stop blaming alcohol alone.

It is clear that the problems stem from more than just alcohol. The federal and state governments need to address all the issues, including poverty, unemployment, housing, education, domestic violence and health.

And we all need to stop deflecting to the problem as only being in Alice Springs. It is happening all over Australia.

Craig Hill is a Brisbane-based Social Justice Campaigner, Writer, Teacher and Business Consultant. He has campaigned for social justice in Australia, promoted human rights in China and worked with the homeless in Honolulu. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Education and a degree in Management.

Appeared in The Canberra Times and 170 other publications