NT Police responded to assaults on a woman in the community on Sunday. She was treated by the Royal Flying Doctors Service and taken to Mount Isa, then transferred to Townsville for specialist surgery, where she remains in stable condition.
The two health workers in the community then raised safety concerns, saying they were threatened by residents. Police escorted them from the community, and the clinic was closed.
Barkly Regional Council chief executive Peter Harder said the evacuation was a "real loss" for the town. "We're just hoping they will return," he said. "There was chat on their way out that this is it, this is the last straw for them, which would be a real loss for our community."
Mr Harder said the closure of other essential services was also being considered.
Alcohol is believed to have been a significant factor in the unrest. Alpurrurulam is a dry community, but Barkly Regional Council has reported large quantities of black market alcohol being transported over the border from Queensland, which does not have a banned drinker register.
Natalie Gibson, manager of nearby Lake Nash Station, said alcohol brought in from over the border was the main driver of violence. She described the situation as a "grog gateway" from Camooweal and Mount Isa. She said a young mother and her child had taken shelter at her homestead over the weekend to escape the violence.
With the clinic closed, the nearest health services are 180 kilometres away in Camooweal. Queensland Health and the Royal Flying Doctors Service have been contacted for comment.