Decision on possible Alice Springs curfew extension to be made this morning after violent brawl breaks out in CBD
Under the curfew rules, adults and children are barred from entering the Alice Springs CBD from 10pm to 6am. (ABC News: James Elton )
In short:
The Northern Territory's police minister is set to announce on Thursday morning whether a 72-hour snap curfew in Alice Springs will be extended.
It comes as a violent brawl broke out in the Alice Springs CBD on Wednesday, with police arresting five people and seizing weapons.
What's next?
The police minister can decide to extend the curfew for a further seven days under controversial new NT laws.
The Northern Territory police minister is set to announce a decision on whether to extend the Alice Springs curfew, following the expiration of the lock-out restrictions on Thursday at 6am.
Ahead of the decision, a large violent brawl broke out outside the Coles supermarket in the CBD on Wednesday afternoon, with police making several arrests and seizing weapons including spears and a baseball bat.
Under the 72-hour curfew in Alice Springs, declared by the Northern Territory's police commissioner on Monday, adults and children are barred from entering the town centre from 10pm to 6am each night, unless they have a valid reason to be there.
Controversial new laws introduced in May give the police commissioner the power to declare snap, three-day curfews over areas of the NT in response to "public disorder".
Curfews may be extended for a further seven days if the police minister approves.
In a statement to the ABC, Police Minister Brent Potter said a decision on the possible curfew extension would be made on Thursday.
Brent Potter says police will assist rough sleepers in Alice Springs return to country. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
"The police commissioner and I are in regular contact in regards to the ongoing curfew in Alice Springs," Mr Potter said.
"A decision on whether or not to extend the curfew will be made tomorrow with the most up-to-date information."
Violent brawl breaks out in Alice Springs CBD
In a statement, the NT Police Force said officers had made several arrests after a "large group" were involved in a violent brawl on Bath Street in the town centre at about 1:15pm on Wednesday.
Police arrested three men and two women at the scene, and seized a number of weapons including nulla-nullas, spears, a baseball bat and a machete.
Multiple police units responded to the incident and dispersed the crowd. (ABC News: Xavier Martin)
The statement said the incident was believed to have involved family groups known to one another, and no serious injuries were reported.
"This sort of violent criminal conduct has no place in our community," Acting Southern Commander Drew Slape said.
Independent MLA Robyn Lambley said the brawl should prompt Mr Potter to extend the curfew to "send a message that we've had a gutful".
"If they're stalling to make a decision overnight then clearly they don't get how dangerous the streets are," she said.
The curfew is due to lift at 6am on Thursday. (ABC News: James Elton )
An NT Police Force spokesperson said police made no arrests in relation to the curfew on Tuesday night.
"Police have been generally pleased with the public behaviour during the declaration and have taken an educational approach since the implementation two nights ago," the spokesperson said.
Business owners, residents question use of curfew
Robert Smits, the owner of a textiles shop in Alice Springs, said national media attention on the curfew was deterring tourists from visiting and "crippling the town".
Robert Smits says business owners are suffering from negative media attention on Alice Springs. (ABC News: Xavier Martin)
"We definitely notice it," he said.
"We notice the hotels can be full sometimes, and there's very few people who venture into town and this is because of the atmosphere that has now been created."
Mr Smits said the town's "deeper, underlying problems" would not go away easily.
"Obviously, the curfew isn't working," he said.
"Just throwing money at things and doing knee-jerk reactions like this is not working."
Alice Springs resident Aero Orstavik also said the curfew was a "knee-jerk reaction" that didn't address chronic underfunding of programs and services intended to support disadvantaged people.
"The Northern Territory is probably the only place in Australia where this kind of behaviour is acceptable," they said.
Aero Orstavik wants long-term investment in effective programs instead of curfews. (ABC News: Charmayne Allison)
They also questioned how the curfew would improve social cohesion long-term.
"We can talk about the reduction in crime for three days, but this is a cultural issue," they said.
"This is a post-colonial present circumstance. We really need to re-address what we're doing."
Indigenous resident Matthew Ward said he believed the curfew helped people to stay at home, and was open to an extension beyond the initial 72 hours.
"The boys have got to stay out of trouble with their family ... and stay with their mum," he said.