The Prime Minister says he will use his visit to Cape York this week to see how programs aimed at helping Indigenous communities are working.

John Howard starts his trip to Northern Australia in Darwin today and will fly to Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula later in the week.

Mr Howard says he will talk to communities about the implementation of policies aimed at breaking the cycle of alcoholism and domestic violence.

"Well I'll learn about the Indigenous communities in the Cape and their policy changes that have produced alcohol free areas, and policies which are designed to lift the self-sustainability of Aboriginal communities to break the culture of welfare dependency," he said.