A BIG drop in assaults, police call-outs and emergency hospital admissions in Halls Creek has made Western Australia's government more determined to support alcohol restrictions in the remote town once described as the Gaza Strip of the Kimberley.
And the Barnett government is preparing for the possibility of restrictions being rolled out in other Kimberley towns if the Director of Liquor Licensing, Barry Sargeant, deems it appropriate.
The first study of the effect of a ban on full-strength takeaway alcohol in Halls Creek is an endorsement of Mr Sargeant's decision last May to make only light beer available as takeaways.
The interim report to be released by the state government today finds police attended 53 per cent fewer incidents in June, July and August last year compared with the same period in 2008.
There was a 30 per cent drop in alcohol-related assaults, a 47 per cent decrease in alcohol-related presentations by Halls Creek residents at the local hospital, and a 68 per cent decrease in the number of presentations at the town's sobering-up shelter, the report found, when it compared the first three months of the ban with the corresponding period in 2008.
The report from the state Drug and Alcohol Office finds the town's visitor centre was busier after the restrictions; there were 260 more sales to tourists between June and August last year compared with the same period in 2008, and the total value of sales increased by 55 per cent.
The ban in Halls Creek was imposed after local indigenous women claimed a generation of children were being given no chance, as local doctors said up to 30 per cent of children in the town probably had fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
At the time, Kimberley senior regional pediatrician John Boulton described Halls Creek as the Gaza Strip of the Kimberley and its children as the innocent victims.
The results of the interim report on Halls Creek showed the restrictions should be allowed to continue, said Mental Health Minister Graham Jacobs.
"The women are saying, `the place is better for our kids now'," he said.
Dr Jacobs said he was working on an alcohol management plan for the Kimberley that would ensure there were adequate government services, including alcohol rehabilitation services, in the event of further restrictions across the region.
"We want to be ready," Dr Jacobs said.
The Halls Creek report echoes some of the findings of a similar report on Fitzroy Crossing, which in 2007 became the first West Australian town where full-strength takeaway alcohol was permanently banned.
In the year after the ban, there was a 36 per cent reduction in alcohol-related presentations at the Fitzroy Crossing hospital
Violent venues in Queensland could be named and shamed
QUEENSLAND'S privacy watchdog has called for the "most violent licensed premises" to be named and shamed and new security technology to be safeguarded.
The federal Information Commissioner is investigating whether fingerprint scanning proposed at Brisbane nightclubs is lawful, while its state counterpart wants the Government to follow the lead of NSW, which publishes a list of venues with the most violent incidents.
"This has been credited for a downturn in the number of reported incidents," Queensland Information Commissioner Julie Kinross said in a submission to the parliamentary inquiry investigating measures to curb alcohol-fuelled violence.
"The NSW Police Commissioner Mr David Owens considers that a combination of tougher police enforcement of incidents, restrictions on opening hours and the 'shaming' of pubs by publicly listing their assault rates has had a significant effect on the number of incidents."
Federal Information Commissioner Karen Curtis is investigating whether fingerprint and ID scanning is lawful after Brisbane nightclub kingpin Lou Bickle's plans to use it to ban problem patrons.
Queensland Police Service has welcomed the use of ID scanners, saying they provide great assistance in tackling booze-related crime.
Mr Bickle said new ID scanning technology had already been installed at the Empire Hotel and Family and Bunk nightclubs. However, he said he was "holding off" on introducing fingerprint scanners such as the one at Options Tavern in Helensvale at this stage.
Ms Kinross said she was concerned ID scanning, fingerprinting and CCTV surveillance in licensed premises compromised individual privacy.
"There is a near certainty that abuses will occur in respect to licensed premises' extensive library of patrons' personal information," she said.
HopgoodGanim Lawyers senior associate Michael Morris warned licensed venues collecting personal information to make sure details were only used for security.
"Misusing this information could mean the venue is in breach of the Privacy Act, which can result in harsh penalties," he said.
The State Government will consider recommendations
Published in Courier Mail 31 January.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26658003-3102,00.html
About Me
- Trojan Corporate
- Trojan Corporate PTY LTD is a corporate compliance consultancy business formed in 1999 by Justin McGurgan to provide specialist management and consulting services to hospitality leisure industry. Trojan has a team of professional consultants and trainers dedicated to the development of effective and profitable solutions to the hospitality, tourism and retail industry.The team has a committment to outstanding service to each and every client ensuring responsiveness, accessibility, involvement and accountability.The Trojan team members have a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer our many and varied clients.