Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion believes there's been a remarkable change in a remote Northern Territory town months after the rape of a two-year-old girl sparked national outrage.
A powerful local indigenous body, the cultural authority group, has been reinstated and they're pushing for new powers to banish troublemakers from Tennant Creek.
"They have conventionally and historically had power to eject people from communities," Senator Scullion told AAP.
"It's a very serious matter for them."
Despite the authority's re-emergence, a raft of problems continue to beset the outback community following February's attack on the toddler including a child protection crisis heavily linked to major public housing shortages.
Senator Scullion also admitted he was cynical about an alcohol limit which included 24 cans of heavy beer a day when it was introduced.
"It seemed to be party time, not restriction time," he said.
But a three-hour daily window for alcohol sales had produced results in reducing consumption, he said.
"Tennant Creek is a remarkably different place than it was around the time of that most recent tragedy."
He denied suggestions Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had avoided seeing the worst of the troubled town by visiting on a Sunday night, an alcohol-free day.
Australian Associated Press
