Alcohol sales will be banned on certain days as part of a suite of toughened liquor restrictions rolled out to two major towns in far northern Western Australia.
Residents in Derby, 2,200km north of Perth, will no longer be able to buy takeaway alcohol on Sundays and Mondays, while trading hours in Broome have also been tightened under new restrictions imposed by the state’s Director of Liquor Licensing.
The announcement comes five months after director Lanie Chopping issued a show-cause notice to 37 alcohol retailers in the two towns.
The notice followed a request from WA Police for blanket regional restrictions due to alarming rates of alcohol-fuelled violence and hospitalisations across the state.
Under the new restrictions, which come into effect on July 15, Broome bottle shops will only be allowed to open between midday and 8pm, with purchase limits on the amount of alcohol customers can buy.
Limits on takeaway alcohol
More than 200 kilometres away in Derby, bottle shops will banned from selling alcohol on Sundays and Mondays.
Takeaway alcohol retailers will only be allowed to operate between midday and 7pm.
Both towns will also be subject to continued daily purchase limits, which include a choice of either two bottles of wine, a carton of beer under 6 per cent alcohol, or a bottle of spirits.
It also restricts the sale of alcohol in glass containers where there are non-glass containers available.
Combinations of smaller alcohol amounts were also announced.
Bans ‘will move the issues elsewhere’
The proposal was previously criticised by Derby-West Kimberley Shire president Peter McCumstie, who called for uniformity and labelled the bans “deeply disturbing”.
Mr McCumstie said while he supported restrictions to reduce alcohol harm across the region, he believed inconsistent bans would only move the issues elsewhere.
He maintained he had repeatedly asked to meet the Director of Liquor Licensing several times about the proposal, but was ignored.
The Director of Liquor Licensing has been contacted for comment.
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