WA Grog summit while Qld bans homebrew
A Grog Summit in Western Australia this week will look at solutions to substance abuse. The trouble township of Balgo was put under the spotlight earlier this year when the WA Coroner linked the suicide deaths of two Aboriginal teenagers to the severe social problems facing the town. Meanwhile, laws introduced to Qld state parliament this week will stop people from avoiding the government’s alcohol management plans by making homebrew kits illegal in Aurakun and Mornington Island. Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, Liddy Clark says the restrictions were requested by the two communities involved. But the spokesman for Qld’s peak Aboriginal Council body, says communities will be wary because previous consultations have not turned out well.