Mr GUNNER - 2011-08-09
Can you please update the House on the number of banning notices issued in designated areas since the amendments to the Liquor Act last year?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am pleased this question has been asked because people often confuse the different banning notices that are in place. The first tranche of reforms we undertook in April last year was to do with licensed premises precincts. We call them the precinct bans, which is what this question goes to. We introduced tough new laws to give police greater powers to ban troublemakers from pub precincts for 48 hours, or up to a year if you take the person to the courts.
I am pleased to inform the House that, to date, 290 banning notices have been issued in the Territory: 143 in the Darwin CBD since October last year, 52 in Palmerston, and 95 in Alice Springs since January. These are the 48-hour banning notices from the precincts.
The Katherine and Tennant Creek precinct designated areas process is under way. I am expecting final sign-off shortly. I am just waiting for advice from the respective councils.
Most people are able to responsibly enjoy a drink and a night out on the town, but there are a few troublemakers who want to ruin it for everyone else, and that is who these precinct bans target. It is clear: cause trouble, you will be banned from the precinct for 48 hours. The new laws are a key tool for police to crack down on those troublemakers and prevent crime, while everyone else can get about doing the right thing. In less than 12 months, we have seen 290 people banned from those precincts, making our entertainment areas safer.
The government said enough is enough. We have done the on-premise reforms, the off-premise reforms with the Banned Drinker Register, and the broader reforms. We developed both in consultation with the Australian Hotels Association, Northern Territory Police, and the Liquor Stores Association. It is proving successful. In the last crime statistics, police attributed the last quarter downward trend in assaults to the introduction of the precinct bans. This is early, good, positive signs that if you go after the troublemaker and the problem drinker and ban them, you will see a consequential change in behaviour.
What we were looking for, of course, is fewer assaults, less crime. Early days yet - we will say it is early days - good signs already with 290 people across the Territory banned from these entertainment precincts. I look forward to Katherine and Tennant Creek being up and running. I am pushing that forward as quickly as possible; that is imminent. Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs are reaping the benefits of these reforms.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am pleased this question has been asked because people often confuse the different banning notices that are in place. The first tranche of reforms we undertook in April last year was to do with licensed premises precincts. We call them the precinct bans, which is what this question goes to. We introduced tough new laws to give police greater powers to ban troublemakers from pub precincts for 48 hours, or up to a year if you take the person to the courts.
I am pleased to inform the House that, to date, 290 banning notices have been issued in the Territory: 143 in the Darwin CBD since October last year, 52 in Palmerston, and 95 in Alice Springs since January. These are the 48-hour banning notices from the precincts.
The Katherine and Tennant Creek precinct designated areas process is under way. I am expecting final sign-off shortly. I am just waiting for advice from the respective councils.
Most people are able to responsibly enjoy a drink and a night out on the town, but there are a few troublemakers who want to ruin it for everyone else, and that is who these precinct bans target. It is clear: cause trouble, you will be banned from the precinct for 48 hours. The new laws are a key tool for police to crack down on those troublemakers and prevent crime, while everyone else can get about doing the right thing. In less than 12 months, we have seen 290 people banned from those precincts, making our entertainment areas safer.
The government said enough is enough. We have done the on-premise reforms, the off-premise reforms with the Banned Drinker Register, and the broader reforms. We developed both in consultation with the Australian Hotels Association, Northern Territory Police, and the Liquor Stores Association. It is proving successful. In the last crime statistics, police attributed the last quarter downward trend in assaults to the introduction of the precinct bans. This is early, good, positive signs that if you go after the troublemaker and the problem drinker and ban them, you will see a consequential change in behaviour.
What we were looking for, of course, is fewer assaults, less crime. Early days yet - we will say it is early days - good signs already with 290 people across the Territory banned from these entertainment precincts. I look forward to Katherine and Tennant Creek being up and running. I am pushing that forward as quickly as possible; that is imminent. Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs are reaping the benefits of these reforms.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016