The scrapped Northern Territory banned drinkers register dramatically cut alcohol-fuelled violence when it was introduced, federal Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon says.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard took aim at the NT government for dumping the successful program when it won power during her Close the Gap report to parliament on Wednesday.

She's written to the NT government urging them to overturn the decision, but they have signalled that's not going to happen.

Mr Snowdon, who has lived in Alice Springs for 30 years, told parliament he's seen first hand the scourge of alcohol abuse.

He said in the first year after the Labor government introduced the register in July 2012 alcohol-related assaults across the NT were down 15 per cent.

Mr Snowdon said there were also 10,000 fewer anti-social behaviour incidents reported across the NT in that time.

After the register was scrapped last year there were "hordes of people lining up at bottlos and grog shops", he said.

"We have seen an immediate spike in drunkenness around Alice Springs," Mr Snowdon told the lower house.