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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-23 Daily Xml
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Question Time

LIQUOR LICENSING

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Consumer Affairs a question about the 4 o'clock to 7 o'clock ban on the serving of alcohol.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: As members who were up and alert this morning would be aware, many callers to both FIVEaa and ABC local radio, as well as their presenters this morning, talked about the 4am version of the old 6pm swill. As David Bevan said on 891, 'We don't—'

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Mr President, I would like some protection please.

The PRESIDENT: The legislation's not in yet.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: As David Bevan said on 891, 'Don't we have enough laws in this state stopping publicans from serving drunks? If the laws were properly policed, that is, stopping drunks from being served, wouldn't that deal with some of these problems?'

Assistant police commissioner Bronwyn Killmier conceded that if publicans managed responsibly—that is, if they did not serve people who showed signs of being affected by alcohol—South Australia would not be having this conversation about mandatory closure at 4am. Commissioner Killmeir acknowledged that the law has virtually failed in stopping the serving of alcohol to drunk people. She also acknowledged the number of people being prosecuted for serving alcohol to drunks was very low. My questions are:

1. Do we have enough laws in this state stopping publicans from serving drunks?

2. If the laws were properly policed, that is, stopping the drunks from being served, wouldn't that deal with some of the problems?

3. How many people have been prosecuted for serving alcohol to drunk people over the past year; if the minister does not have the precise number, would she agree that it is very low?

4. Does the minister agree with assistant police commissioner Bronwyn Killmeir that 'we have to put more resources into policing'?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (14:21): I thank the honourable member for his important questions and an opportunity to talk about this very important proposal that is about to be put to parliament. We are seeking to introduce a bill that looks at introducing a raft of different measures to address the issue of alcohol-fuelled crime—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —particularly violence and other anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol abuse, particularly in our entertainment areas. The data shows us quite clearly that the number of alcohol-related incidents, particularly in our entertainment areas, is on the increase and has been increasing for some time.

It is absolutely a tragedy, and each and every one of us should take responsibility. We will all get our opportunity to take some responsibility when this bill comes before us, and we expect honourable members to support it. In terms of the timing of these incidents, according to reports from police they tend to peak at around 2 to 3am, and then they come down—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: There is a peak period of incidents between 3am and 6am.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: So, the peak period of offending occurs between 3am and 6am. I want to draw attention to the fact that the proposal to put in a three-hour break is only one of a raft—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Perhaps we ought to close them at lunchtime, just for the opposition.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It is only one of many measures and, in fact, most of the measures that we are proposing, both in terms of legislation and the code of conduct, which we will be distributing publicly for further consultation at roughly the same time, are measures that are targeted towards those venues that do not do the right thing. So, it is about really focusing most of our efforts on those venues that do not do the right thing.

Some of the other measures include things like increasing penalties for repeat offenders to make sure that we come down really hard on those licensees who are repeat offenders and who continue to breach their licences. So, we will be significantly increasing the penalty for repeat offenders and also increasing the scope of offences that would warrant disciplinary action, including the ability to temporarily suspend a licence of a repeat offender relating to particular offences. So, members can see that we have really come down tough on those.

Some of the other measures involve increasing the powers of the commissioner to provide the ability to impose conditions on a licence and for that to be done in a timely and speedy way. Some of those measures could include things such as requiring extra security guards where that is deemed to be warranted, and to require extra CCTV cameras or, for that matter, the installation of CCTV cameras. It could require better control of crowds on the street or it could require a condition that means replacing glass with plastic utensils after a particular time where that is deemed to be warranted. These are part of the bill and the code of conduct. As I have said, there is a raft of measures; it is not just about trading hours. Trading hours is only one strategy of many we are proposing to bring about safety, and the priority of this government is to improve public safety.

In terms of the proposition that somehow a break between 4am and 7am reduces us to a nanny state, I can absolutely assure all members that the general public will have 21 hours a day of licensed drinking time every day of the week except, of course, on public holidays, and that is far more hours than in many other states. In fact, I am advised that New York City has a mandatory closing period of four hours each day, and New York City could hardly be considered to be a nanny state. So, New York City has a longer mandatory closing period than Adelaide.

What we are proposing here is consistent with other jurisdictions. At present, there are three other jurisdictions that have a mandatory closure, and almost every other jurisdiction has some restriction to licensing or trading, or is currently considering changes to their trading hours. In terms of costs, the general public are already paying for the cost of alcohol abuse—both drinkers and non-drinkers alike pay for the cost of alcohol abuse and alcohol-related harm—and nationally we pay to the tune of $36 billion a year, and South Australia's share is just under $3 billion a year. So, we are already paying for that.

It is about time that we draw a line in the sand and do something about improving safety on our streets. Some of the raft of proposals we are putting in place are about licensees sharing the responsibility across the sector, but most of those proposals are, in fact, targeted at those venues that do not do the right thing. We have increased opportunities to help dispersal because that has been a concern. We have provided new money for the consideration of four new managed taxi ranks. We are considering including two of those in the CBD; we already have two. They are highly popular and highly used. They are a very safe and efficient way of dispersing crowds.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: There is an interjection—

The PRESIDENT: It is out of order.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —that they will be very busy (although I will ignore that, Mr President) at 4 o'clock. Here is another bit of a furphy. Again, when you analyse the data, the peak dispersal time currently in the Adelaide CBD is around 3am. By the time we get to 4 to 7am the bulk—that big peak of dispersal—have already left the CBD. That is not to say there are not still crowds that we have to manage, but we know that increasing the number of managed taxi ranks provides a safe, efficient and very popular means of helping crowds to disperse. The taxi industry, in particular, tends to put more cars out on the road when there are managed taxi ranks, because it is safer for them to send their cars out to managed taxi ranks.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: We know they like to use them and we know the public like to use them, because they are a safe and effective way of managing crowds. We have also increased incentives for designated drivers. Some of these proposals include hotels and nightclubs being required to provide cool drinking water free of charge and also to provide soft drink at a reasonable price so that there is always the designated driver option.

There is also public transport. There are hourly bus services. There is a train service that leaves somewhere between half past five and six, and I will come back to that in a minute. The police have also indicated that, if this bill successfully goes through, they will contribute to improving the policing around the transport hubs. When I was out there talking to people, one of the things that young people said to me is that they were disinclined to use the hourly bus service because of security issues. We believe that, with extra assistance from the police, we should be able to improve that.

Of course, there is the public train system. Again, if you look at the analysis, it shows us that the numbers of people using that first service out of the CBD are very small numbers indeed. That is not to say that the service is not utilised. The service is utilised and it is an important service, but to suggest that there are thousands and thousands of young people who hang around the city until 6am for the first train out is absolute nonsense. We believe we have put together a series of proposals and strategies that attempt to address a range of different issues. In terms of policing—

The PRESIDENT: The minister should shortly complete her answer. Fifteen minutes for one question is getting—

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I am wrapping up now. I just got so excited about this proposal.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I will finish on policing very quickly. First of all, there is new money for more inspectors, and the police have indicated that, if this bill goes through successfully, they will increase policing in the entertainment areas, particularly around the transport hubs. I think that just about wraps it up. Thank you, Mr President.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

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