Mr STYLES - 2011-11-22
Last week, machete-wielding youths robbed the bottle shop at Hidden Valley, taking numerous bottles of spirits. The owner says there has been an increase in thefts since the introduction of the Banned Drinker Register, and female staff are no longer able to work nights at the bottle shop. Why are ordinary Territorians being made victims of your flawed policy?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, member for Greatorex, member for Brennan!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question. It goes to show how out of touch the member for Sanderson really is on this subject. I held a meeting with 40 licensees to discuss what they are seeing with the roll-out of the Banned Drinker Register. I particularly talked to the licensee of Hidden Valley Tavern because he was in the media reporting concerns and complaints around break-ins at the premise. I pointed out to him that they have been very effective. Work has taken place between police and licensees to harden premises, to work effectively with licensees who have any concerns. I offered him the opportunity of following up and getting the police to do the crime prevention through environmental design to harden up the premises. He has not followed up on that offer ...
Mr Chandler: It should not be necessary.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Brennan!
Ms LAWRIE: Interesting in that discussion though, the other licensees have said: ‘Let’s get real’. Licensed premises have always been broken into. They went on to talk about ram raids that have occurred in bottle shops in and around the town in the past. None of the licensees were sitting there saying that the break-ins at commercial premises are a direct result of turning the problem drinker off tap. They all recognise that, through the years, there have always been people who break-in, or attempt to ram raid and break-in to licensed premises.
I will give you a few anecdotes around the extent that licensees have gone to in the past to harden their premises, including using forklifts against roller shutter doors, all prior to the Enough is Enough reforms.
You are chasing rabbits down burrows because, to your eternal shame, against the advice of the entire health sector, against the advice of the licensees who have been constructive partners in our Enough is Enough reforms, the AHA and the liquor stores who all recognise that turning the problem drinker off tap to drive down crime is actually the sensible response.
What are we seeing? A 15% reduction in alcohol-related assaults across the Territory in the first three months of the reforms. We are seeing a 22% reduction in alcohol-related incidents in the first three months of the reforms.
You bury your head in the sand and want to think it is not working. I will listen to the licensees. The feedback I am getting from them has been positive and constructive. There is a genuine offer from the government for the police to work with individual licensed premises if they want to harden up their premises, if they want to carry out undercover operations which have been very effective in capturing people. At the end of the day there will be criminal behaviour which goes after bottle shops. That has happened prior to the reforms, and it will happen in the future.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, member for Greatorex, member for Brennan!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question. It goes to show how out of touch the member for Sanderson really is on this subject. I held a meeting with 40 licensees to discuss what they are seeing with the roll-out of the Banned Drinker Register. I particularly talked to the licensee of Hidden Valley Tavern because he was in the media reporting concerns and complaints around break-ins at the premise. I pointed out to him that they have been very effective. Work has taken place between police and licensees to harden premises, to work effectively with licensees who have any concerns. I offered him the opportunity of following up and getting the police to do the crime prevention through environmental design to harden up the premises. He has not followed up on that offer ...
Mr Chandler: It should not be necessary.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Brennan!
Ms LAWRIE: Interesting in that discussion though, the other licensees have said: ‘Let’s get real’. Licensed premises have always been broken into. They went on to talk about ram raids that have occurred in bottle shops in and around the town in the past. None of the licensees were sitting there saying that the break-ins at commercial premises are a direct result of turning the problem drinker off tap. They all recognise that, through the years, there have always been people who break-in, or attempt to ram raid and break-in to licensed premises.
I will give you a few anecdotes around the extent that licensees have gone to in the past to harden their premises, including using forklifts against roller shutter doors, all prior to the Enough is Enough reforms.
You are chasing rabbits down burrows because, to your eternal shame, against the advice of the entire health sector, against the advice of the licensees who have been constructive partners in our Enough is Enough reforms, the AHA and the liquor stores who all recognise that turning the problem drinker off tap to drive down crime is actually the sensible response.
What are we seeing? A 15% reduction in alcohol-related assaults across the Territory in the first three months of the reforms. We are seeing a 22% reduction in alcohol-related incidents in the first three months of the reforms.
You bury your head in the sand and want to think it is not working. I will listen to the licensees. The feedback I am getting from them has been positive and constructive. There is a genuine offer from the government for the police to work with individual licensed premises if they want to harden up their premises, if they want to carry out undercover operations which have been very effective in capturing people. At the end of the day there will be criminal behaviour which goes after bottle shops. That has happened prior to the reforms, and it will happen in the future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016