Community vote in favour of dry zone

The community has spoken and Whyalla City Council has listened – last night endorsing the introduction of a city-wide dry zone, following majority public support for the idea.

Council received almost 2,500 responses to its survey over a six-week period, asking residents if they wanted to retain the existing dry zone, or move to a city-wide dry zone.

Nearly two out of three respondents (64.7%) chose the city-wide option.

Mayor Phill Stone said the response to the survey was the biggest council had seen in the past five years, enabling councillors to make a unanimous decision.

“The decision was not made lightly, as we’re aware this will be a significant change for the community,” Mayor Stone said.

“However, after reading every comment both for and against a city-wide dry zone - providing us an understanding of community sentiment - we were able to make a measured decision that represented the views presented by residents.”

Mayor Stone said council made a concerted effort to promote the survey in every possible way – from face-to-face engagements, physical copies, QR codes and newspaper ads; to boosted social posts, hourly radio mentions and app notifications – with the aim of reaching the majority of the community.

“By using a variety of local platforms – including one of our social media posts reaching more than 14,000 people, predominantly in Whyalla – we’re confident that most residents were aware of how they could contribute to this important discussion,” he said.

The survey was in response to mounting community concerns regarding increasing alcohol-related anti-social behaviour. Mayor Stone said while council could not solve these issues on its own, it was doing its part to address the problem.

“The one thing within our control is to determine the area of the city that is covered by a dry zone, which is why we are taking action on a city-wide dry zone, following community support for the initiative,” he said.

“There is no silver bullet to resolving alcohol-related anti-social behaviour, and a dry zone will not solve the problem on its own – it will take far more than this to solve the ongoing issues.

“It will take a focused, multi-agency response to tackle the cause of the ongoing issues to achieve real improvements. This will need to include addressing housing issues; increased police resources; helping those who are at-risk to access support; and a host of other measures.

“We are committed to this process and will continue to work with various community groups and service agencies to see further improvements implemented.”

Council will now apply to the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner to have the city-wide dry zone implemented. There will be a period of a few months between the application being lodged and the dry zone being implemented. Council will continue to update the community on the progress of this process.

We strongly encourage residents to read the full report tabled at this month’s Ordinary Council Meeting, outlining responses, promotion, comments and various statistical data; as well as the reasoning for engaging regarding a city-wide dry zone versus a partial extension.

The report can be viewed here.

FAQ

1. What is a dry zone?

A 'dry area' is an alcohol-free zone. Under the Liquor Licensing Act 1997, the consumption of or possession of liquor (in open containers) is prohibited in this area. A person who consumes or has possession of opened liquor in a dry area is guilty of an offence, which carries a maximum penalty of $1250. The purpose of a dry area is to minimise any potential risk or negative impact on the amenity of a public area caused by anti-social behaviour associated with excessive alcohol consumption. Dry areas are signposted with 'No Alcohol' signs and enforced by SAPOL. The dry zone provides a useful ‘tool’ for SAPOL to confiscate liquor that is in the possession and/or being consumed by individuals within the dry zone area, particularly in public areas such as reserves; main shopping precincts; car parks; beaches and foreshores; and communities where drinking in public places is an indicator of complex social issues.

It is not an offence to have alcohol while genuinely passing through a dry area if:

* It's unopened and in the original container in which it was purchased from a licensed premises

* It's in the course of carrying on a business, such as a packaged liquor sales licensee delivering alcohol

* You live near a dry area and must pass through it to enter your home

* The alcohol is for religious purposes

Long-term dry areas are designed to work as part of a broader local-level strategy to reduce alcohol-related problems in the area.

2. What are the pros and cons of a city-wide dry zone?

Pros

• SAPOL can confiscate alcohol from individual(s) in any public places across the city, giving them the greatest scope to address alcohol-related issues more consistently across the city
• ‘Simplicity’ of a blanket, city-wide arrangements – avoids confusion of ‘where can I / can’t I drink in public’
• Based on experiences in places such as Port Augusta, a city-wide implementation – combined with regular enforcement – could assist in reducing anti-social and criminal behaviour resulting from public drinking, while helping locals and visitors feel safer right across the city
• Prevents the risk of simply shifting the issue to other part(s) of the city

Cons

• ‘Acceptable/responsible’ alcohol consumption cannot occur in public spaces across the city, unless a short-term liquor licence has been obtained
  1. Obtaining this licence requires lengthy timeframes – ruling out spur-of-the-moment gatherings involving alcohol – and has an associated fee
• Could result in increased alcohol consumption occurring within residential dwellings that may increase risk of over-crowding / domestic and family violence / increased anti-social behaviour and disturbances in residential streets

3. Why did you only consult on implementing a city-wide dry zone as opposed to simply increasing the existing dry zone area?

We have looked at various dry zone extension options, each with their pros and cons, and there was no ‘easy fix’ that seemed ideal. The concern is that any extension will result in the issues simply being shifted to another part of the city. The blanket dry zone across the entire city was therefore deemed the best option to take to the community for consideration.

4. Why can’t you do something straight away / why will it take so long?

1. There is no quick fix for this issue
2. It was important we heard from the broader community first, as there could be numerous consequences from such a significant change, so any decision needs to be fully informed and considered by weighing up all the potential pros and cons.
3. There are legislated State Government timeframes to make any major changes to a dry zone, including a four-month implementation period

5. How would a city-wide dry zone solve the problems we see in/around the Westland area?

It wouldn’t solve it, but it would give SAPOL powers to curb public drinking and any associated anti-social behaviour across the city. This still does not fix the root-cause(s) of issues that need to be addressed in a broader multi-agency approach, which council is already working on with local agencies.

We are mindful that some people may think that a dry zone will solve the issues. However, there could be various consequences arising from a decision to implement a city-wide dry zone that the community needs to consider (see ‘pros and cons’ question).

6. Would any change cost ratepayers and increase rates?

The main cost to ratepayers would be signage across the city, which would not have an impact on rates.

7. What if I forget about the dry zone and am caught drinking in public?

If a city-wide dry zone was adopted, there would be an implementation period of education / warning. There would also be increased signage installed across the city and regular reminders via council’s various channels.

8. Does this mean alcohol can only be consumed at licenced premises?

Alcohol can continue to be consumed at private properties – the dry zone only applies to public spaces (ie parks, footpaths, playgrounds, foreshore, car parks, shopping centres etc).

9. How do you get a short-term liquor licence for a public space?

Anyone wanting to sell, supply and/or consume alcohol within a public place that is within a dry zone can apply to the Office of Liquor and Gambling for a Short-Term Liquor Licence. For example, if a family wanted to have a birthday party in a park or a concert / event was to be held in Civic Park, short-term liquor licences can be granted in advance for these purposes. This comes with prescribed timeframes to allow for processing / approval, so it needs to be applied for in advance and there is a cost to obtain such a licence. This would obviously be problematic for a spontaneous decision of a family to go to a local park to have a BBQ and consume alcohol.

10. I don’t agree with the city-wide dry zone – how do I provide feedback on the decision?

The community had ample opportunity to have their say on their preference, with the survey available over a six-week period. It was extensively promoted by council to ensure the majority of the community was aware of how to have their say during the consultation. This saw ~2,500 responses, with the majority voting in favour of a city-wide dry zone. However, residents are always welcome to provide feedback on any council-related matters – you can do so via the My Local Services app, emailing council@whyalla.sa.gov.au, or calling 8640 3444.