0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, March 29, 2024
CANBERRA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he supports a decision to impose a youth curfew in an outback town in response to a crime wave.
Albanese on Thursday said the federal government is supportive of the move by the government of the Northern Territory (NT) to impose the curfew in the central town of Alice Springs.
"That is a sensible move, and one that the federal government supports," he said at a press conference.
Under the 14-day curfew that was imposed on Wednesday, anyone under the age of 18 in the Northern Territory (NT) town of Alice Springs is not allowed out of the house between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time.
The curfew was imposed by the NT government in response to a series of violent and destructive incidents in the town that involved primarily local young residents.
"All Australians will be concerned by the scenes that we have seen," Albanese said.
Asked if the Australian Defense Force (ADF) should be deployed to keep order in the town, Albanese said that people on the ground in the area were in the best position to decide what action was necessary.
He did not commit to visiting the town but said the government would continue to provide support, including through a 250 million Australian dollar (162.8 million U.S. dollar) investment he announced in February 2023 in improving community safety and opportunities for young people.
Experts in the NT on Friday raised concerns about the impact of the curfew, with Children's Commissioner Shahleena Musk describing it as unfair and unwarranted.
She told state media the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the Office of the Children's Commissioner, a government agency, was concerned about the unclear scope and terms of the emergency declaration that imposed the curfew.
Announcing the curfew on Wednesday, NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler said that those who breach it would be either taken home or to a safe place by NT Police.
An additional 60 NT Police officers arrived in Alice Springs on Thursday to enforce the curfew.
Not-for-profit legal service the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency on Friday expressed concerns that children could be returned to unsafe homes or that the curfew, which only applies in the central business district of Alice Springs, could push crime into outer suburbs. Enditem
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)