Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

The follow-up bill to the government’s recent legislation to protect Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory is to make minor consolidating amendments to the alcohol measures that were central to the reforms. We want the alcohol provisions to be as practical as possible, particularly for people from the liquor industry who are working with the government in this very important area. The legislation currently has a trigger for when licensees must seek and record details of takeaway alcohol sales. This trigger is currently a sale of 1,350 millilitres of pure alcohol. The Northern Territory National Emergency Response Amendment (Alcohol) Bill 2007 changes the trigger so that the record-keeping requirement cuts in for the sale of a quantity of alcohol with a purchase price of $100 or more, including GST, or more than five litres of cask or flagon wine. It was the liquor industry itself that suggested this change to simplify the away that the threshold was calculated. The new trigger will make sure the vast majority of larger alcohol purchases, over 1,350 ml, will be covered. It will be easier for customers to understand, and quicker and easier for takeaway sales staff to apply. However, the intent and effect of the original provisions will not be undermined. We will still be stemming the flow of alcohol into remote Aboriginal communities by tracking large purchases to help us locate and prosecute the grog runners.

A second measure in the bill will help some liquor licensees who may find themselves faced with a simple on-site document storage problem under the new provisions. This may arise because of the requirement on licensees to store records of takeaway alcohol sales for at least three years and then produce them to an inspector upon demand made on or at the licensed premises. Licensees will now have the flexibility of storing these documents not necessarily on site but at a location directed by the Northern Territory Licensing Commission. This will still meet their obligations under the legislation.

New defences will be introduced to an offence applying under the alcohol grants. Under these defences visitors to national and Northern Territory parks will be able to take alcohol into a prescribed area in the park in certain circumstances. This will apply if the alcohol is to be consumed in a responsible way as part of recreational activities undertaken with a tourist operator and consistent with any management plan or similar document that may be in place for the park.

As an incentive for communities to work towards their own sustainable alcohol management plans, the bill will allow for alcohol measures to be turned off in relation to a particular prescribed area or part of an area. This may be activated, for example, if a particular community demonstrates that it has developed appropriate alcohol management measures and is winning the battle with alcohol. In that case the Commonwealth minister may decide, after seeking advice from the Northern Territory Emergency Response Task Force, that it is desirable to stop applying the alcohol bans to that area. These measures to consolidate the emergency response legislation follow discussions with industry and show the government’s openness to reasonable adjustments while ensuring the thrust of the legislation is realised.

I will take this opportunity to deal briefly with some of the issues in the original speeches on the second reading. I would like to thank Senator Stephens for her contribution. She posed, as part of that contribution, several questions in relation to matters outside the legislation we are dealing with now, but, in the spirit of support and of how this is being progressed, I will undertake to get answers to Senator Stephens on notice rather than trying to provide it at this moment.

Senator Crossin spoke of a number of issues which I will touch on in a moment. One of the principal issues was that we should consult closely with the Northern Territory government. It is interesting to note that the ABC reported today:

The Northern Territory’s chief minister has supported changes by Australia’s federal government to alcohol bans ...

I think that is pretty comprehensive support, in a nutshell. There are a number of issues about which I think Senator Crossin was a little confused. I will be very restrained, and perhaps if she wishes to quiz me further on some of those matters in committee I will be happy to take them up with her at that time.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.