Remote NT community's health clinic shut down amid unrest and threats

A remote Northern Territory community is reeling after its only health clinic was shut down due to unrest and threats to staff, prompting calls for the immediate reopening of the local police station.

The community of Alpurrurulam, also known as Lake Nash, has a population of about 350 people and is located less than 20 kilometres from the Queensland border. On Sunday, NT Police responded to reports of assaults on a woman in the community, with officers deployed from Avon Downs, Tennant Creek, and the Queensland border town of Camooweal.

A Queensland police officer arrived with the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) and the injured woman was taken to Mount Isa for treatment, then transferred to Townsville for specialist surgery, where she remains in a stable condition.

However, the two health workers in the community subsequently raised safety concerns, citing threats from residents, and were escorted from the community by police. With the clinic now closed, residents would need to travel 180 kilometres north-east across the border to Camooweal to receive care.

Alcohol-fueled violence a major concern

Reports suggest that alcohol was a significant factor in the unrest, with investigations ongoing. The community is a dry zone, but the Barkly Regional Council has reported large quantities of black market alcohol being transported into the community from Queensland.

Barkly Regional Council chief executive Peter Harder described the evacuation of the two long-time nurses as a "real loss" for the town.

"We're just hoping they will return," Mr Harder said. "There was chat on their way out that this is it, this is the last straw for them, which would be a real loss for our community, so we definitely don't want that."

Mr Harder said the closure of other essential services in Alpurrurulam was also being considered. He urged the NT government to reopen the community's police station, which has been closed since 2018.

"The ongoing absence of a permanent police presence contributes to significant challenges within Alpurrurulam," he said. "The Northern Territory government needs to accelerate works on the police station so the community can rely on police assistance."

Lack of police presence exacerbating issue

Natalie Gibson, the manager at nearby Lake Nash Station, believed that alcohol brought in from over the Queensland border was the main driver of violence in the Aboriginal community.

"It is a grog gateway, from Camooweal and Mount Isa, straight into Alpurrurulam," she said.

Ms Gibson described a recent incident where a young mother and her two-year-old child took shelter at the homestead to escape the "violence".

"We had heard that she had rung the police, and they had advised her to come here to our homestead," she said. "Of course we feel for her and her small child, but we're not really equipped to be a refuge, especially when there is so much unrest at the community."

NT Police Association president Nathan Finn acknowledged the seriousness of the unrest that had caused the nurses to be evacuated, but described it as an "isolated incident".

"We believe that our members are best supported in the current [drive-in-drive-out] arrangement going on at the moment," Mr Finn said.

Member for Barkly Steve Edgington said while he would like a standard police station model to return in the community, there should be a "regular" police presence in the meantime.

"From my experience, I would say we need to see a fortnightly visit to the community as a minimum," Mr Edgington said.