LIQUOR LICENSEE CONCERNED WITH CHANGE IN ALCOHOL CONTROLS BY MARTU

In Newman, a change in an agreement between Martu elders and Liquor licences has caused unrest in the Martu community and with Licencees.

Martu elders approached Licensee Anita Grace asking for alcohol controls ahead of a funeral that was held last week on Friday the 13th of May.

 The elders requested mid-strength to be sold to Martu on Wednesday and Thursday and no alcohol to be sold on Friday Saturday and Sunday. 

Ms Grace was in the hospital at the time and heard that a group of  Martu came into the bottle-o on Friday wanting to change the agreement. She was told that the group of people that came also said it was racist and discriminatory.

“Mr Tinker, Mr Peterson and six other elders requested me to come down to the sorry camp because they wanted to put alcohol controls in. They were concerned with the amount of people coming in, the anti-social behaviour.  We met with the liquor accord and said no problems. Whatever the elders want we want to make sure that we are on the same page, Ms Grace explained.

 “On Friday we had a group of people come in and say ‘we want to change these controls’. It’s very hard to agree with the elders and then we got a group of people coming in saying ‘we want it changed.’

We were not sure if the elders were getting hassled. The elders are very important in this town and they do so much work here, so we have the utmost respect for them - the four liquor stores in town.”

The elders asked for it themselves, the police were supporting it.”

“We had a large group of people come down and create problems here.  I was in hospital at the time, my daughter was in charge and the amount of stress and anxiety - what was happening was not right.

After the changes were made on Friday by a Martu elder, the bottle opened for one hour on Friday and one hour on Saturday and there were no issues overnight.

Yamatji man Michael Rickards said that a Martu elder approved the change to the original agreement on Friday after the funeral and says that Martu people are being treated like children. 

“I was thinking and I was looking at all the Martu people and they were sitting down worrying. And I looked at these Martu people and they looked like they were being treated as little kids - sitting like kids in a kindergarten. I shouted out ‘you mob you got to get up, this is your time. This is your town, speak up for yourselves.”

Newman Police have been contacted for comment.