❓ Minister Waldron provides an update on voluntary alcohol bans in remote WA communities, noting the addition of three new communities and emphasizing the importance of ongoing support and monitoring for sustainability. He addresses concerns about displacement and acknowledges the initiative's imperfections while highlighting its positive impact.
AnsweredQoN 195Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
VOLUNTARY ALCOHOL BANS — remote communities
The success of voluntary alcohol bans in remote Western Australian communities is now well documented. However, the true effectiveness of this initiative will depend on continued momentum in new communities seeking alcohol bans and whether the bans already implemented prove to be sustainable. Could the minister please update the house on this important issue? Mr T.K. WALDRON
The success of voluntary alcohol bans in remote Western Australian communities is now well documented. However, the true effectiveness of this initiative will depend on continued momentum in new communities seeking alcohol bans and whether the bans already implemented prove to be sustainable. Could the minister please update the house on this important issue? Mr T.K. WALDRON
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. It is a good question, because we need to keep asking ourselves about the sustainability, and I will comment on that in a little while. I have spoken on this topic quite a few times in Parliament, and I intend to keep doing so. It is an important issue for the government, for me as minister and for every member of the house. An opposition member interjected. Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr T.K. WALDRON replied: I thank the member for the question. It is a good question, because we need to keep asking ourselves about the sustainability, and I will comment on that in a little while. I have spoken on this topic quite a few times in Parliament, and I intend to keep doing so. It is an important issue for the government, for me as minister and for every member of the house. An opposition member interjected. Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
I thank the member for the question. It is a good question, because we need to keep asking ourselves about the sustainability, and I will comment on that in a little while. I have spoken on this topic quite a few times in Parliament, and I intend to keep doing so. It is an important issue for the government, for me as minister and for every member of the house. An opposition member interjected. Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
An opposition member interjected. Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr T.K. WALDRON replied: I thank the member for the question. It is a good question, because we need to keep asking ourselves about the sustainability, and I will comment on that in a little while. I have spoken on this topic quite a few times in Parliament, and I intend to keep doing so. It is an important issue for the government, for me as minister and for every member of the house. An opposition member interjected. Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
I thank the member for the question. It is a good question, because we need to keep asking ourselves about the sustainability, and I will comment on that in a little while. I have spoken on this topic quite a few times in Parliament, and I intend to keep doing so. It is an important issue for the government, for me as minister and for every member of the house. An opposition member interjected. Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
An opposition member interjected. Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will talk about that because it is a good point. On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
On 18 August last year I informed the house that I had agreed to implement total alcohol bans in the Pilbara and western desert communities of Punmu and Irrungadji. I am pleased to report that, since then, three more additions to the family of communities that have sought my assistance to implement section 175 alcohol bans have taken place. It brings the total number to 15 communities across the state. These three new communities are the western desert community of Kunawarratji and the West Kimberley communities of Pandanus Park and Looma. I reiterate that this is not a rubber-stamp exercise, and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment. The point that was raised was about resources. For these initiatives to work, they require support from the local police and the local community, as well as from other local support agencies. We have some pretty good support services in place, but we need to keep monitoring them. Over the past few months I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues in this area, and I know that they are focusing on this area. I am confident that we will continue to improve these support services. Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Last week when I visited the area, I was accompanied by Dean Holder from the Broome branch of the Department of Sport and Recreation. I wanted him to understand what we are trying to do in these communities and to look at what we can do through the sport and recreation portfolio, as well as through working with Garnduwa, which delivers sports development across the area. It is probably something that I should do more of with other agencies. We always have the Drug and Alcohol Office with us, but it is a good step to take the Department of Sport and Recreation. Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr M.P. Murray : Is it true that 600 people have left Halls Creek since those bans have been put in place? Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : What tends to happen is that people move; I have always said that. If an alcoholic really wants alcohol, they will sometimes go to extreme measures to get it, and that has been proven in Alice Springs, which I monitor very closely. Quite a lot of people move and then come back. I noted in the member’s press release, which I thought was quite good, that he acknowledged that he supports the bans. I hope he does support them, because they are showing a success rate. When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
When we go there, it is not perfect. This initiative is not perfect, but it certainly provides that circuit-breaker and enables local leadership to play that role. When I go there and look at the kids and talk to the schoolteachers and the mums in particular, I am once again inspired to keep doing what we are doing, but it has to be done working with them. The member raised in his press release an incident last Friday at Bayulu, which is one of the communities that we made alcohol-free. There was an incident, but that was from people who were drinking elsewhere, not in the community. If people were still allowed to drink in the community, that would be happening more often. What we are doing is very important.
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