ALCOHOL-RELATED
HARM — PILBARA
989. Hon ROBIN SCOTT to the minister representing the
Minister for Racing and Gaming:
I refer to recent reports that the
director of Liquor Licensing has started an inquiry into liquor restrictions,
following a submission from the Commissioner of Police about alcohol-related
harm in the Pilbara.
(1) Can the minister
confirm that the director sent letters out in July, inviting submissions on the
extent of alcohol-related harm?
(2) If yes to
(1), how is this any different from the inquiry done following the report in
January 2017 by the Commissioner of Police?
(3) When will the
government stop holding pointless inquiries into obvious problems and, instead,
start doing some real work to stop alcohol abuse?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I
thank the member for the question. The following information has been provided
by the Minister for Racing and Gaming.
(1) Yes. Letters
have been sent to government agencies and other key stakeholders.
(2) New evidence
has been submitted by the Commissioner of Police on the extent of
alcohol-related harm in five Pilbara towns. As part of the process of
determining whether imposing restrictions on licensees is in the public
interest under section 64 of the Liquor Control Act 1988, the director of
Liquor Licensing is seeking information from stakeholders to help inform the
inquiry.
(3) The director
of Liquor Licensing, a statutory role independent from the Minister for Racing
and Gaming, is responsible for the administration of the Liquor Control Act
1988—the act. One of the primary objects of the act is to minimise harm
or ill health caused to people, or any group of people, due to the use of
liquor. Given that the director's statutory obligation under the act is
to address alcohol-related harm, it is therefore reasonable that he should
investigate these matters and use the tools available to him to address harm.
Currently, one of the director's only tools to respond to
liquor-related harm in a community is population-based measures, such as liquor
restrictions.
The McGowan government is committed
to tackling liquor-related harm and is the first state government to work in
collaboration with the industry and community to come up with an alternative
tool that focuses on individuals rather than the entire community. The member
should be aware that a banned drinkers' register trial will commence in
the Pilbara on 1 December this year, and the McGowan government is working with
the Kimberley region to progress a similar initiative with the community's
support.