The Northern Territory Government must provide certainty about how it will maintain alcohol restrictions when Interim Alcohol Protected Areas (IAPAs) expire next year.

The call from the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) comes as chief executive Donna Ah Chee warned removing existing protections could repeat the severe social harms experienced after previous alcohol restrictions lapsed in 2022.

After Stronger Futures dry area provisions ended in July 2022, police crime statistics showed alcohol-related domestic violence assaults in Alice Springs increased by 93 per cent, alongside rises in assaults, property crime and alcohol-related emergency department presentations.

AMSANT said the spike in harm also led to negative national and international media coverage of the Northern Territory.

Speaking at the Association of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies Northern Territory (AADANT) Conference in Darwin, Ms Ah Chee said women and children "cannot afford" the risks associated with the protections lapsing.

The current IAPAs are due to expire in February 2027, with Ms Ah Chee arguing they would pose a significant threat to community safety if replacement measures were not secured.

"Aboriginal organisations and communities warned what would happen if these protections were removed," she said. "Unfortunately, those warnings were ignored, and a very high price was paid."

The Bundjalung woman argued the protections align with the CLP government's commitments to improving community safety and reducing family, domestic and sexual violence.

"The right of people to drink alcohol is less important than the right of communities to live safely. In particular, the right of women and children to be safe must remain the overriding concern," Ms Ah Chee said.

Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby told National Indigenous Times the government would provide a plan "long before" February next year.

"But what we won't do is repeat Labor's failed policies, which allowed rivers of grog to flow back into communities which, as...Donna Ah Chee pointed out, led to significantly increased violence, domestic violence, and alcohol-related harm," Ms Boothby said.

"Territorians can expect strong, responsible leadership from the Finocchiaro CLP Government as we continue to deliver on our Reducing Crime Strategy."

AMSANT argues effective alcohol supply controls are essential to protecting women and children and reducing violence. The organisation says governments should prioritise community safety over access to alcohol and maintain measures proven to reduce harm.

Ms Ah Chee said the benefits seen after restrictions were reintroduced in 2023 demonstrated that evidence-based alcohol policy works.

The measures were associated with a 20 per cent reduction in alcohol consumption in Alice Springs, a 39 per cent fall in domestic violence presentations at Alice Springs Hospital's emergency department in the first five months, and the prevention of around 100 hospital-treated domestic violence cases each month.

AMSANT called on the Northern Territory Government to provide a clear plan before February 2027 to ensure communities remain protected and consulted.

The organisation warned failure to act could increase health and social harms while damaging the Territory's economy, tourism industry and reputation.

Ms Ah Chee said reducing alcohol-related harm also requires long-term investment in housing, early childhood development, education and poverty reduction, alongside evidence-based restrictions on alcohol supply.

"While those long-term investments are essential, we also know that removing effective protections leads to immediate increases in violence and harm," she said. "We cannot afford another backward step."