BANNED DRINKERS REGISTER
TRIAL — PILBARA
1126. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the minister representing the
Minister for Racing and Gaming:
I refer to the PerthNow article of
29 July 2018 that refers to the minister's suggestions that the banned
drinkers register trial is proposed for the Pilbara communities of Port
Hedland, Karratha, Onslow, Tom Price, Newman and Paraburdoo before the end of
this year.
(1) When will the trial begin?
(2) Which towns and licensed
premises will participate in the trial?
(3) How will the
trial operate, how will a banned drinkers register be established and maintained,
and who will be responsible for the register?
(4) Can the
minister please list the community groups, local governments and liquor licence
holders in the Pilbara that have been consulted on the banned drinkers
register?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
The following information has been provided to me by the Minister for Racing
and Gaming.
The Minister for Racing and Gaming
appreciates the interest in this new initiative to assist those community
members with alcohol-related problems, including violence, and those suffering
as a result of these crimes. As members are no doubt aware, there is currently
a variety of alcohol restrictions in the north of our state. The Director of
Liquor Licensing has imposed restrictions over a number of years in response to
evidence by the police and health agencies of harm associated with alcohol and
for community wellbeing.
The McGowan government will explore
new and evidence-based initiatives to combat violence associated with alcohol
and ensure the safety of the community from alcohol-related harm. The banned
drinkers register trial in the Pilbara will be the first of its kind in WA and
is the culmination of stakeholders working with the government on a more
effective way of combating these issues, as part of the west Pilbara plan. The
minister has secured the services of the UWA Public Policy Institute to
undertake a robust and thorough evaluation of the trial, which will include
identifying targets and areas for further research.
(1) The trial is expected to begin
in the first quarter of 2019.
(2) All towns in
the Pilbara will be included in the trial, and all licensed premises that sell
takeaway alcohol are expected to participate in the trial. There may be some
exceptions to this, depending on the trial's parameters—for
example, social and sporting clubs.
(3) The trial
will involve the installation of a physical scanning machine that works by
cross-referencing photo identification of the customer with a secure data
register to determine whether the customer has been prohibited from purchasing
takeaway alcohol. The employee will simply receive a red, no service; amber, no
service; or green, service as normal, signal to proceed with or deny a sale. A
person is likely to be placed on the register if any alcohol-related crime has
attracted the attention of the police—for example, assault, driving
under the influence, domestic violence et cetera. Licensees will also have a key
responsibility to manage temporary prohibitions locally, similar to liquor
accords, so that the system can operate in real time. Specific operation of the
register requires detailed work, which is currently being undertaken. The
Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries will maintain a secure
register, with limited access to the database.
(4) Community
forums have been held in Karratha, Newman and Port Hedland that were free and
open to attend, including not-for-profit health and social organisations, local
government authorities and licensees. Dedicated licensee meetings were also
held to discuss the banned drinkers register and the current restrictions.
The minister's staff and
representatives of UWA intend to continue consultations with key stakeholders,
including those who work hard in the not-for-profit sector, and licensees, who
are integral to the success of the initiative.