Have you heard about the recent alcohol bans in the Northern Territory?

Liquor laws were passed a couple of nights ago in response to what police, the Leader of the opposition, and a large chunk of the media were calling a “crime wave” in January this year. There are now major restrictions on the sale of alcohol in Alice Springs and remote communities of the Northern Territory.

For many not living in the Territory, news of alcohol and crime came as a surprise. However, alcohol bans have been a hotly debated issue within the town of Alice Springs for over a decade.

We spoke to Dr Thalia Anthony, a Professor of Law at the University of Technology Sydney about the usefulness of alcohol bans in stopping crime, with particular attention to the NT.