Irate Gulpilil loses licence

Gulpilil, 52, was in Darwin Magistrates' Court for his seventh alcohol-related driving offence on Tuesday. He was given a $500 fine and 12-month licence disqualification. A warrant was issued for his arrest when he didn't turn up to court at 9am but was dropped on his arrival.

The star of Walkabout and The Tracker was caught with a blood-alcohol reading of .093 on July 17. Asked how he was yesterday, Gulpilil said "rubbish . . . I hate the law in Australia, in my f---ing country." He claimed police visited him at his camp early yesterday and told him to "clean up my rubbish".

"I said, 'This is my land and I can do anything I like'."

Gulpilil said he was not getting good service from the NT Police Commissioner or Administrator.

"I need a service, a good way to look after me and give me a house," he said. "Thirty-nine years I've been in the film industry, now the NT Government they are f---ing me up."

On Tuesday, Darwin Magistrates' Court heard Gulpilil had been drinking with his wife Miriam and several friends at One Mile Camp at Stuart Park in Darwin. Several children were watching him paint when one of the "neighbours" began a drunken argument. Gulpilil's wife asked him to take the children away. When pulled over, he had two passengers. Magistrate Dick Wallace said he did not think it was necessary to imprison Gulpilil.

"One could say you still have not really learned that you should not drink and drive -- but there were some extenuating circumstances," Mr Wallace said.