The Indigenous Australians minister has promised that tough new restrictions on takeaway alcohol sales are just the beginning of measures to combat surging youth crime in Alice Springs.
Linda Burney said the prime minister's meeting with territory leaders on Tuesday afternoon made important progress in strategies to curb anti-social behaviour.
"This is the beginning of the response, not the end," she told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
Ms Burney believed a successful referendum to establish an Indigenous voice to parliament would help communities, particularly in the Northern Territory, in the long-term.
"If the voice to parliament had been established previously, I don't think we would be where we are ... because we would have been getting practical advice from people representative of the community in relation to these social issues," she said.
"It is wrong to think that the issue out here is just alcohol. There has been neglect for 10 years of small communities surrounding Alice Springs.
"This is not something we walked into yesterday, this has been something we've been working with and dealing with for a very long time."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NT Chief Minister Natasha Files have announced a three-month ban on the sale of takeaway alcohol in the region on Mondays and Tuesdays and reduced trading hours on other days, with a limit of one purchase per person each day.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the government had ignored community leaders and called for tougher restrictions.
"Governments have to respond to the situations they face and this government has not responded sufficiently or strongly enough," she told reporters in Canberra.
Meanwhile, a long-term central Australian alcohol management plan will be developed to deal with the "complex issues" in the region, which include alcohol fuelled violence, unemployment and youth on the streets.
A central Australian regional controller was appointed to ensure all levels of government are working together to deliver services to the community.
The controller, Dorrelle Anderson, will also review opt-in alcohol restrictions, that replaced expired Intervention-inspired liquor bans last year, and consider if opt-out bans should be implemented.
Northern Territory senator Malarndirri McCarthy said she had "cautious optimism" about the impact of the measures.
"Over the next three to six months, it is absolutely critical that the people of Alice Springs see the change and feel the change and believe in the change," she told Nine's Today Show.
Mr Albanese promised to spend millions of extra dollars to bolster security, including better street lighting, provide emergency accommodation for domestic violence victims and continue community services in Alice Springs and the region.
© AAP 2023