Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My home town of Mparntwe/Alice Springs has been in the national headlines for some time now, but I want to remind members of this place, particularly those opposite, is that behind those headlines is a community that is deeply hurting at the moment. We need to rise above politics, rally around our community and take action. Businesses, families and our frontline workers have all been affected. I was visiting the hospital over the Christmas break and I saw firsthand how critical the situation was. Our nurses, staff and doctors are run off their feet and beds are filled as a result of alcohol related crimes.

I want to thank the Prime Minister for his leadership on this issue and for visiting Alice Springs. The measures put in place by the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister on 24 January have helped; the town is a lot quieter. But the underlying issues that drive the crisis in Central Australia still need to be addressed: poverty, unemployment, a severe shortage of housing, family and domestic violence, disaffected youth and neglect of the bush. These issues have been decades, if not centuries, in the making. We have a lot of work to do, and I know that the Albanese government will work every day to address the situation in my home town.