BANNED DRINKERS REGISTER TRIAL — KIMBERLEY
137. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Racing and Gaming:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to reducing alcohol-related harm, particularly
in regional Western Australia.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the rollout of the banned drinkers register,
including the trial in Broome and Derby?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what the banned drinkers register will mean for
those communities in the Kimberley?
Mr R.R.
WHITBY replied:
I
would dearly love to respond to the member for Kimberley and I applaud her
compassion and energy in representing her community. This question is
another example of that.
(1)–(2) On
Saturday, 1 May, the member and I were in Broome for the soft launch of the
banned drinkers register and the takeaway management system. The rollout begins
in Broome and Derby, and, of course, in subsequent weeks, it will be rolled out
across the Kimberley in its entirety. This is a very effective way of tailoring
a process that addresses alcohol harm without impacting on responsible drinkers
across the community. It is important to know that this initiative has come
from the ground up. It has actually been encouraged by the community, local
governments, liquor industry, hospitality industry and sellers of packaged
alcohol who wanted a system that protects people who are vulnerable to harm and
their families, but also balances that against a legitimate industry that
supplies alcohol to people who consume it responsibly. Therefore, it is a very
important initiative.
As the member will know, it is a very
simple system in which someone supplies their identity, usually in the form of
a driver's licence, at the point of sale. If they are on the banned
drinkers register, a red light will appear and they will not be able to take
away that alcohol for consumption. It has worked very well in the Pilbara where
it is being trialled and we are going to have an independent assessment through
the University of Western Australia to ensure that it is working well, but all
indications are that it has been successful in the Pilbara and it will be
successful in the Kimberley.
I
would like to congratulate my predecessor, the former minister, for playing a leading
role in this initiative. We are also
going to—in time, member for Kalgoorlie—turn our attention, as
we have committed to do, to the goldfields because the community in the
goldfields has been very keen on the application of this system there. Again,
it is a system that allows people to consume alcohol responsibly, but it is a way
of stopping access to people who are vulnerable to the abuse of alcohol and
their families, so it is a very important initiative.
I
would like to thank Bradley Woods of the Australian Hotels Association and
Peter Peck of the Liquor Stores Association of Western Australia for
their support of this very important initiative. It is crucial that it has
received industry support. I also thank the hardworking people at the
Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries who have put in a
lot of time to get the system working. It is using Western Australian
technology, which is the best in the country, and I understand that this
technology is being applied in other states as well. Not only is it a great
initiative for the Kimberley, the Pilbara and soon to be the goldfields; it is
also resulting in a new industry for Western Australia that is employing Western
Australians and developing Western Australian technology.