At a meeting held last Thursday morning, the Katherine Regional Action Group (KRAG) resolved to continue to work to this end, though it would regroup, the mayor said, and may emerge in another form.

The decision followed a meeting on Wednesday night last week where sociologist Peter d’Abbs delivered an evaluation of the Katherine Alcohol Management Plan. 

Dr d’Abbs has a research background in alcohol and drug policy issues, specialising in northern Australia.

In introducing Professor d’Abbs, Cr Miller said the establishment of the plan had been a “long road”.

“We need to listen to Professor d’Abbs, and we need to decide as a community if we can do more, or if we can do better,” she said.

Dr d’Abbs looked at the objectives of the plan, noting the effectiveness of each implementation. His final observations were blunt.

“Now I’m an outsider, I don’t live in Katherine and you can tell me to shut up if you want to, but I am increasingly plagued with a sense that this not just about alcohol. I think we tend to collectively delude ourselves that it is,” he said.

“The arguments about alcohol are about the place of Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people in our town. 

“I can't help feeling that this is a kind of doomed dialogue. A neat solution is not going to fall from the sky.”

There was strong support in the room for the Point of Sale Intervention (POSI), with the mayor saying it had transformed the town almost overnight. 

But there was also concern expressed that POSI may be driving drinking and violence behind closed doors, exposing more women and children to danger. 

Professor d’Abbs said solutions needed to address both alcohol supply reduction and demand reduction. 

He also said the growing problem of cannabis in outback communities should not be underestimated. 

To read the review of the plan, go to katherineamp.com