Man’s lone bid to prevent brother from buying ‘metho’ to drink -sees major supermarket
finally agree to empty shelves

A Townsville man’s lone bid earlier this week to prevent his brother buying methylated
spirits to drink from a Townsville supermarket – has resulted in the store’s agreement to
remove methylated spirits from its shelves.

In a story of David and Goliath proportions, Riccardo Crompton has won agreement from
Woolworth’s that its Sturt Street store will no longer display or sell methylated spirits
directly from its shelves.

Woolworths have already removed all of its stock of methylated spirit from its shelves.
It is a move that could have reverberations across Queensland and around the country.

Consumption of "meths" by many of Townsville’s park dwellers has long been a
contributor to a range of alcohol, public order, homelessness and health issues, and anti
social behaviour.

Mr Crompton, an indigenous man who has been involved with park people and their
problems for more than 20 years, and Woolworth’s, have both been commended by ATSIC. ATSIC
says this a major breakthrough.

ATSIC’s Regional Council Chairperson, Jenny Pryor says " in less than a week
Riccardo Crompton has made more progress on the parks problem than the state government,
the city council and other agencies including ATSIC have been able to achieve in four
years ."

"This ends a two year deadlock on Townsville’s much talked about "12 Point
Plan" to deal with the so called ‘parkies’ problem".

She says Riccardo Crompton deserves a public medal for what he has done. "What
Riccardo Crompton has done could well help save the lives of more than 200 people by
cutting off the supply of a lethal poison that has killed and is killing so many of our
people, and not only indigenous people."

Mr Crompton and Ms Pryor today called on the business community, other stores and
service stations, the council and the State government to back this initiative. They say
the State government should now move to stop the open and unrestricted sale of meths.

Ms Pryor says Mr Crompton may have breathed some life into this intractable problem.
"This is only one of the problems in regard to the whole solution of public
drunkenness in our community. But it does help end the open sale and profiting from the
cheap and easy access to our people from the park.

"It gives some real hope of a major beakthrough for the whole community in
Townsville.

" But it demands the State government, the council, business, government agencies
and the wider community to get behind what Mr Crompton and Woolworths have achieved here
in Townsville."

Ms Pryor said there were continuing reports that some sellers were refrigerating meths
in what appears to be blatant attempts to facilitate the purchase of meths for human
consumption.

Mr Crompton said he knew of more than 200 people who have died in the last 15 years as
a result of drinking meths.

Media Contacts:

Jenny Pryor

Riccardo Crompton:

Craig Sproule

Office of Public Affairs – ATSIC

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