Radical takeaway alcohol ban in the Kimberley and Pilbara plan by Blanch, Dawson rejected by Liquor Licensing

Calls from the State’s top cops for radical takeaway liquor restrictions in WA’s north have been rebuffed. Police Commissioner Col Blanch backed predecessor Chris Dawson’s plan to ban all takeaway drinks except light beer in the Kimberley and Pilbara, citing the harmful effects of alcohol on the community. But the Director of Liquor Licensing, Lanie Chopping, has only proposed smaller changes to liquor laws, including reinstating pandemic-era restrictions that expired on November 4 in Broome and Derby. These prohibit licence holders from selling more than one carton of beer or three bottles of wine or one litre of spirits per customer per day. Ms Chopping will make her final decision late next month after receiving final submissions. “All we can do as police is make those submissions,” Mr Blanch said on radio. “I think we keep collecting stats, I think we keep explaining to the Government what we’re seeing. “But I’ll also admit we are the police, so we look at it through the narrow view of harm to the community that the police attend — I’m not the tourism person. Alcohol consumption, when it’s abused, causes harm in the family — there’s no doubt about it.” Racing and Gaming Minister Reece Whitby said it was a difficult issue and the consultation process had been thorough. “We need to strike a right balance. . . I think the balance is good,” Mr Whitby told reporters. “We need community support for these things to work, so I think that’s the outcome that we’ve got.” Australian Hotels Association (WA) chief executive Bradley Woods welcomed the decision as “common-sense”, describing the commissioners’ proposals as “additional and unnecessary restrictions”. “Some of the more extreme restrictions that were proposed would have been damaging to tourism and hospitality in one of WA’s premier tourism regions, and significantly curtailed the rights of law-abiding citizens,” Mr Woods said in a statement. “The AHA has long advocated against unreasonable restrictions and instead urged the implementation of targeted measures, such as the Banned Drinkers Register. “In the decision, the Director directly referred to the Government’s proposed enhancements to the Banned Drinkers Register, which are critical to reducing alcohol-related harm.” Mr Blanch pointed out police had powers to curb booze sales under emergency provisions, with total takeaway liquor restrictions in place currently in flood-hit Derby. “When crisis hits, police take over and do restrict liquor, and we actually see domestic violence come down during those periods,” he said. “There’s a lot of stress during a flood.” In Broome, an accord struck between liquor retailers with support by the local shire and police largely retained the pandemic-era restrictions that expired in November, but eased some of the daily limits.