The Government has today passed critical liquor reforms to protect Territory communities and prevent a repeat of Labor's rivers of grog.The changes strengthen police powers and community protections while reducing the red tape burden on hospitality operators who do the right thing. Finocchiaro CLP Government will continue to prioritise community safety and make the NT the best place to live, work, visit, and invest.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has drawn a line in the sand on Labor's rivers of grog, as Parliament passed the Liquor Amendment Bill 2026 - putting community safety first while backing the Territory's hospitality industry.
The changes will see Interim Alcohol Protected Areas transition into General Restricted Areas, meaning restrictions will remain in place unless formally varied or revoked, after consultation with the community. The laws also strengthen police powers to respond to alcohol-related violence, public nuisance, and antisocial behaviour, and extend the maximum duration of banning notices from 14 to 90 days.
Attorney-General and Hospitality Minister, Marie-Clare Boothby, said the reforms were about putting community safety at the heart of alcohol policy and liquor licensing, while backing responsible operators.
"Territorians will never forget the way Territory Labor allowed rivers of grog to flow back into our communities, driving up serious crime, violence, and harm. DV in Alice rose by 77% and monthly assaults peaked within 6 months of Labor's failed alcohol policies. We will never allow that failure to be repeated," Minister Boothby said.
"Families deserve to feel safe. Our communities deserve certainty that the protections which keep them safe will remain in place, and that's what our reforms do."
Minister for Alcohol Policy, Steven Edgington, said that the laws would provide lasting protection, and ensure that any changes would face proper scrutiny.
"Our reforms will ensure that we will not see a return to the dark days of Labor's opt-in approach, which left communities without protection, and which led to a catastrophic crime crisis. We saw alcohol presentations skyrocket in Alice Springs by 50% in just six months," Minister Edgington said.
"From now on, any move to lift restrictions must meet clear requirements, including community alcohol plans, and importantly, a genuine assessment of its impact on community safety."
The reforms will also reduce the red-tape burden on the Territory's hospitality operators by:
Streamlining liquor licence transfers with a provision to allow licensees to transfer licenses to existing licence holders without a new application.Reducing unnecessary administrative requirements such as physical licences and inflexible payment arrangements.Providing greater flexibility for responsible operators to sell, reopen, or respond to licence changes.
Minister Boothby said: "Operators who are doing the right thing shouldn't be buried in unnecessary red-tape. They should be focused on growing their businesses, employing Territorians, and welcoming visitors.
"In our year of growth, certainty and security, we're backing our hospo industry, supporting local jobs, and showing that reducing crime and rebuilding the economy go hand-in-hand."
