The Wire

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has called on the government to stage a new intervention in the Northern Territory. In a letter to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Mr. Abbott says that the government needs to focus its resources on larger cities, including Alice Springs. He says parties need to engage in bipartisan support to address the issues of alcohol-infused violence, education and working for the dole. While admitting that the first intervention, introduced by the Howard government in 2007, was a ‘top down’ operation, he says that new action still needs to be taken.