Minister for Local Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Mark Furner says he supports a collaborative approach to Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs).
In a statement released last week, the Minister said there were many good examples of local leadership and solutions already occurring in local communities.
“Mornington Island is a good example of local leadership for local solutions occurring in local communities with the Council establishing an Alcohol Management Plan Steering Committee to gauge community views on the way forward,” Mr Furner said.
The issue of AMPs has been prevalent on the agenda this year after the Minister met with Indigenous health and policy expert Professor Alan Clough in March.
In a discussion with the LGAQ, Professor Clough said while he believed AMPs had resulted in improvements in alcohol related problems, there was increasing evidence the 'one size fits all' approach was having many unintended, harmful impacts.
"While generally people recognise there have been some favourable outcomes from AMPs - they did break the cycle of violence that was linked with alcohol - my urging to the Government has been to work with the communities to resolve the issues that are troubling them most, those unintended consequences: criminalisation, discrimination and the sly grog issue," Mr Clough said.
The topic was also raised at the first ever Indigenous-focused Cabinet meeting held in Cairns in March, which Mr Furner addressed in his statement:
“Alcohol management was a significant topic of discussion at last month’s historic Indigenous-focussed Cabinet meeting in Cairns, and it’s clear a one-size-fits-all approach won’t suit all communities with existing management arrangements,” Mr Furner said.
Whilst the statement didn’t outline any specific plans for AMPs it did convey a commitment by the Palaszczuk Government to continue to consult with Indigenous communities and refer to community research results produced by Mr Clough.
“We’re continuing to work to finalise the review of Alcohol Management Plans in the coming months, while recognising local desires for safer communities and individual tailor-made solutions to alcohol management,” Mr Furner said.
“I thank the LGAQ, Mayors, Councils and communities for their commitment to partnering with the Palaszczuk Government to achieve an appropriate balance, and the best possible result for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”