Aboriginal domestic violence increased, says Nova Peris

Nova Peris with ex PM Julia Gillard

Labor Party Senator Nova Peris is trying to blame the LNP for increased alcohol-related domestic violence admissions to hospital in the Northern Territory.  She says it's because the LNP scrapped a register in 2012 that stopped problem drinkers from buying alcohol.

Surely she must be joking, she would know that Aboriginal problem drinkers have large extended families or friends who simply buy it for them.  Having your name on a banned drinker register was a joke.

She said that Emergency Department admissions in NT hospitals increased by 80 per cent in the 14 months since it was scrapped.  

Not so, said the NT Minister for Alcohol Rehabilitation, Robyn Lambley. She said the register was "useless in the fight against alcohol abuse" and ten years of data shows it had no long term impact on alcohol-related admissions to NT emergency departments.

The ABC Fact Check dated 20 March reads:  Alcohol-related emergency admissions to NT hospitals did increase by 80 per cent after the register was scrapped.  However, they did not decrease while the register was in place and the upward spike began before it was removed.   A comment appeared at the bottom of that article which reads:

As a former NT police officer, I served in Tennant Creek for several years during the banned drink register with all of my service in the central desert area.  I can tell you from someone working at the coal face that the banned drink register did not work in any shape or form.  We saw no decrease in alcohol-fuelled violent crime.  In fact, during that period all areas of alcohol-related incidents steadily increased, particularly domestic violence.

Banned drinkers did not stop drinking, they got relatives and others to buy grog for them.  We had one person who received a banning notice 12 times,  After having three issued, there was supposed to be a court ordered intervention.  The first notice gets you banned for 3 months, the second for an additional 6 months, and the third an additional 12 months and the person then was taken to court so that an alcohol intervention plan could be implemented.

It did not work, the police on the street will tell you so, A&E would tell you so and the ambos would tell you so. The problem is caused by sit down money, a total and utter lack of personal responsibility and a totally dysfunctional living environment.

I was pleased when Nova Peris was elected to the NT Senate, but her credibility after releasing this story, knowing it was untrue, is disappointing.