Newsroom

June 26, 2018

State KAP Leader and member for Traeger Robbie Katter is standing with local mayors demanding the State Labor Government take immediate action regarding Alcohol Management Plans.

“This issue has dragged on way too long,’’ Mr Katter said.

“I first queried the Government on their plans for AMPs in 2012 and local councils have been pushing for changes for a long time.

“This dedication to inaction by the Labor Government is ruining lives and destroying communities and must stop. Not next year, but right now.

“With the Government stating that yet another review of AMPs won’t be finalised until 2019, communities are in dire straits.

Chief executive officer of the Mornington Shire Frank Mills said if the government was committed to closing the gap they have to get rid of prohibition.

“People don’t understand that this law is literally killing the population and it will continue until this problem is solved,’’ he said.

“We want to keep working with the Government on this issue but if they walk away from it until 2019 it will devastate our community.’’

Mr Katter said communities have put up with years of reviews – and reviews of reviews - which have not yielded anything tangible.

“These people are not being treated the same as other Australians, they can’t buy a beer at the local pub and they can’t bring a six pack to a barbecue,’’ he said.

“As a result many people have resorted to making and drinking their own toxic brand of alcohol or chancing their luck with the law by bringing a bottle of wine home.

“The health, employment and sociological impacts this is having is devastating local communities.

“If they get caught making home brew, or with a bottle of wine they can receive a criminal record, which means they become ineligible to apply for a Blue Card which impacts on their chances of employment in a very small community, while the toxicity and high alcohol content of the home brew is severely affecting their health.’’

Alf Lacey, Mayor of Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council said the issue of AMPs had become critical for his community.

“These laws are destroying our community,’’ he said.

“We are seeing 1000 people every week having to go to court because they come off the boat with a bottle of wine to have with their dinner.

“Can you imagine people on the mainland putting up with that? This is criminalising our society.

“The blanket, ‘one size fits all’ approach is not working. Individual communities must be allowed to set their own arrangements.’’