The Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mal Brough, says law and order must be restored in Aboriginal camps around Alice Springs.
Mr Brough says he is committed to working with Territory and local governments to rapidly improve conditions at the camps, and has told the ABC that child abuse, alcoholism and drug issues have to be dealt with as a priority.
"We've got to understand that these people think of camps that are recognised, many of them are very much what most people would understand to be suburbs. Very run down suburbs without governments with inadequate law and order, where alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse are norm and no part of Australia should have those circumstances."
There have been 15 murders and cases of manslaughter in the town in the past 16 months.