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Tag: Alcohol Restrictions

  • South Australia Prepares for Severe Alcohol Restrictions

    Sweeping restrictions on the sale and supply of alcohol in the outback SA town of Coober Pedy have taken effect from last Monday.

    What has been described as the toughest grog laws in the country have been imposed by Liquor and Gambling Commissioner Paul White in an effort to curb alcohol abuse amongst Aboriginal people, even those from inter-state.

    Mr White was quoted on www.sbs.com.au as saying:

    “I’ve imposed a condition that says if you reside at one of the prescribed lands, which roughly speaking is the APY Lands, or some of the Northern Territory communities close to the South Australian border or Western Australia, then you cannot purchase take away alcohol from the outlets in Coober Pedy,” says Mr White.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

    What do the restrictions entail?

    There will be a complete ban on cask wine and bottled wine and spirits will be limited to one 750ml bottle per person, per day.

    Drinkers will have to produce a photo ID when buying liquor.

    The restrictions will also include a complete ban of take away alcohol for people from dry communities and a refusal of sales to people suspected of travelling to dry communities.

    According to Mr White although these restrictions seem extreme, Mr White said these restrictions weren’t imposed on these communities but that they rather requested these restrictions. Communities requested the support to assist in reducing the inflow of grog. Commissioner White will review the restrictions in 6 months.

    Mayor Steve Baines agreed with Mr White that this is a huge problem which requires attention.

    Mayor Baines was quoted as saying,

    “In the last 11 months there have been 18,200 casks of wine sold. Now we’ve got a population of 1,700 people. That’s 500 casks of wine per week, on top of 18,400 bottles,” says Mr Baines.

    Aboriginal legal advocates and the community think Coober Pedy’s been overwhelmed by people escaping grog bans elsewhere.

    “The illnesses that people get, the alcohol related violence that flows from alcohol getting into dry communities is really very severe and a very serious problem, and we think that an important impulse to stop this is to get a summit of all communities, get them all together at the same table and talking to government authorities about more effective rules to stop the liquor getting into dry communities because that’s what they want,” says Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement member Chris Charles.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

    Detox and rehabilitation facilities are expected to be inundated with calls for rehab services as people’s alcohol source is cut off due to the restrictions. Medical facilities and rehab facilities are apparently braced for this influx.

    The article goes on to explain,

    “We don’t not have a single rehabilitation service specifically for Aboriginal people in this state, and whether that’s all the other health and allied services that we need, we cannot fix the problem simply by these sort of bans; they are part of the solution, they are not the solution,” says Greens MP Tammy Franks.

    Federal funding allocated 7 years ago for rehabilitation facilities remains unspent.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

  • The NT gets tough new alcohol restrictions

    According to the Northern Territory’s police commissioner, those who are critical of the government’s moves to push through tough new alcohol legislation should consider the women and children who are suffering in the NT because of alcohol abuse and drunken partners and parents.

    The new restrictions include alcohol protection orders which will ban people who are charged with committing a serious offence while intoxicated from possession or drinking alcohol or entering a licensed premises for 3 to 12 months.

    According to the Chief Minister Adam Giles this is significant because a staggering 70 per cent of domestic violence incidents in the NT are as a result of alcohol abuse.

    The orders can be issued to any person who is charged with an offence that would attract a potential jail term of 6 months or more and could be implemented before they are found guilty by the courts.

    Giles explained that if people want to avoid these restrictions, they should simply refrain from “bashing” their wives and don’t drink to such an extent that they end up punching someone in a licenced venue or drive home drunk.

    The police commissioner, John McRoberts echoed the sentiments of Giles and said that the aim of the restrictions was to deal with those who behave badly under the influence of alcohol, he went on to explain:

    “This legislation, as far as police are concerned, is designed to deal with harmful effects of alcohol and target those who behave irresponsibly,” Police Commissioner John McRoberts said.

    “Far too often we see people mourning the morning after, because what started out as a pleasant night out for some has turned into an utter catastrophe for others.”

    It will be up to police to stop banned people entering licensed venues and buying alcohol, and licensees may be provided with photos and names of those banned so they don’t unknowingly serve them.

    Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/11/28/15/53/alcohol-orders-set-to-pass-nt-parliament

    One would think that this move would be bad for business and therefore would not be supported by businesses, but the Australian Hotels Association says it is supportive of the move because it helps staff of licenced venues who would otherwise have to deal with these drunken offenders.

    The post goes on to explain:

    “I don’t think this puts the onus on staff,” AHA NT senior vice-president Mick Burns said.

    “It targets the problem, it doesn’t target 99 out of 100 people that do the right thing and go out and enjoy a drink and don’t do the sort of things we read about on the front page of the paper.”

    Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/11/28/15/53/alcohol-orders-set-to-pass-nt-parliament

    The restrictions do have some critics who believe that it will criminalise drinking. The post goes on to explain:

    Critics of the legislation say it will criminalise alcoholism and disadvantage Aboriginal people, and say that it’s more cumbersome than the previous Labor government’s Banned Drinkers Register, which created a centralised system for bottle shops and licensed premises to scan patron IDs and refuse service to those banned.

    Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/11/28/15/53/alcohol-orders-set-to-pass-nt-parliament

     

  • Turkey Passes Controversial Alcohol Restrictions

    Turkey’s parliament has just passed a law which has caused much controversy in the modern, largely Muslim country.

    The law would restrict the consumption and advertising of alcohol in the country, which although predominantly Muslim has always been considered a more liberal nation.

    The law which was passed on Friday last week, prohibits the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10pm and 6am and also prohibits alcoholic beverage companies from sponsoring events. The law also restricts where alcoholic drinks can be consumed.

    While supporters of the law say it will protect society and particular children from the harms of alcohol, critics say it will allow the state, known for being a mix between the Muslim and European culture to become more pious and conservative.

    This post from TheAustralian.com.au explains:

    Supporters of the measure – introduced by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) party, which has its roots in Islam – say the law is seeking to protect society, particularly children, from the harmful effects of alcohol.

    But critics see it as a sign of creeping conservatism in predominantly Muslim but staunchly secular Turkey and argue the legislation intrudes into private life.

    TV series, films or music videos are not allowed to contain images encouraging the consumption of alcohol under the new legislation.

    Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/turkey-debates-alcohol-restrictions/story-fn3dxix6-1226649601335

    Despite being a rather secular state, the majority of Turkey’s population is made up of Muslims. And under the current ruling party, which is Islamic-based, more Muslim based ideologies such as headscarves and limiting alcohol has become common. The current Prime Minister has been accused of attempting to make the secular country more conservative.

    Another controversial aspect of the law is that it introduces harsher punishments for people caught drink driving. Drivers will be issued with a hefty fine (approximately $A400) and have their licences taken away and not be allowed to drive for 6 months – this is for people caught driving over the 0.05 limit however people over 0.1 will face jail time of up to 2 years imprisonment. If that doesn’t serve as a deterrent to drink driving, I don’t know what will!

    The article goes on to state:

    Drivers with a blood alcohol content of more than 0.05 per cent will be slapped with a 700-Turkish lira (nearly $A400) fine and their driving licences will be confiscated for a six-month period.

    Drunken drivers with a blood alcohol level over 0.1 per cent will face up to two years’ imprisonment.

    The law must be approved by President Abdullah Gul to take effect. He is expected to sign it soon.

    Prime Minister RecepTayyipErdogan’s populist government, in power for over a decade, is often accused of creeping efforts to make the country more conservative and pious.

    Erdogan, a devout Muslim who does not drink or smoke, said recently that ayran, a non-alcoholic refresher made from yoghurt, was the “national drink” of the Turks.

    Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/turkey-debates-alcohol-restrictions/story-fn3dxix6-1226649601335