THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Prime Minister John Howard has announced a six-month ban on alcohol in indigenous communities across the Northern Territory.
The move is one of a series of measures in response to a major Northern Territory report last week which revealed widespread child abuse in indigenous communities, fuelled in part by alcohol.
"We regard this as akin to a national emergency," Mr Howard said in Canberra.
Detailing measures to be taken, he said: "In relation to alcohol the intention is to introduce widespread alcohol restrictions on Northern Territory Aboriginal land for six months.
"We will ban the sale, the possession, the transportation, the consumption and [introduce the] broader monitoring of takeaway sales across the Northern Territory." Northern Territory grog ban (more)
Mark Alexander
