Aboriginal alcohol bans ruled 'not discriminatory' by Australian High Court

The Australian High Court Wednesday ruled in favor of indigenous alcohol bans for the Aboriginal community of Palm Island on the Great Barrier Reef in northern Queensland. The court found that alcohol management plans in 19 indigenous Queensland communities do not breach racial discrimination laws -- but protect vulnerable people. However, Queensland Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs Glen Elmes said the government would continue working with communities to review the management plans in question. Aboriginal people are being invited to have their say about whether the restrictions are working -- despite the court's ruling that the program is legitimate. "We are determined to assist those communities which could demonstrate they had strategies in place for reducing alcohol- related abuse and violence to return to an environment of greater normality," Elmes said in a statement. "Our aim is for our discrete indigenous communities to be as normal as possible, which includes improving economic sustainability and reducing current high levels of violence and public disturbance," he added. Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey slammed the court decision, saying the issue went to the heart of indigenous people taking responsibility for their own futures. "Are we always going to be at the beck and call of remote control out of Brisbane and Canberra that dictates how high we should jump and when we should wake up in the morning? "I thought those days were over... (but) that's always going to be the case with a lot our issues -- the 'white is right' mentality," Lacey told local media. Palm Island's alcohol management plan has been in place since June 2006, and includes a limit of one carton of 30 cans of light or mid-strength beer per person, as well as "dry places" where alcohol is banned. Penalties for possessing illegal alcohol in Palm Island include up to 82,500 AU dollars (78,251 U.S. dollars) or 18 months behind bars. Palm Island resident Joan Maloney recently attempted to appeal the alcohol limit in the District Court of Queensland, after being convicted of possessing more than her share. By special leave she appealed to the High Court, leading to Wednesday's landmark decision, which has divided cultural leaders. Alcohol has long been identified as a persistent problem for indigenous communities across Australia. In 2008, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that indigenous Australians experienced harms associated with alcohol use, including deaths and hospitalizations, much more often than other Australians. An estimated 7 percent of indigenous deaths in Australia are related to alcohol -- between five and 19 times higher than for non-indigenous Australians in most states. Australian governments have struggled to find a solution, with states and local communities adopting various strategies and programs to help reduce alcohol consumption and improve the safety of indigenous communities.