No licence to drink card trial for WA, Waldron
Author: Terry Waldron
Published on: 17-May-2011
Western Australia will not be introducing a licence to drink card similar to that which operates in the Northern Territory.
Speaking at the Nationals Business Breakfast forum at Burswood this morning, Racing and Gaming Minister Terry Waldron said the State Government believed a card-based system is at present inappropriate for Western Australia.
“There are a number of reasons for this, firstly the system does not target problem drinkers per se - only those who have been convicted in court of an alcohol related crime,” Mr Waldron said.
“The inability, so far, to control secondary supply has limited the extent to which the system has been effective in preventing persons with court-imposed prohibition orders from accessing alcohol.”
The Minister said providing all members of the community with access to photo ID able to be scanned by the system had been a significant, problematic and costly issue.
“Purchasing the required database and scanning equipment and delivering ongoing system support in regional/remote areas is a costly exercise,” he said.
“However, this is not to say that the circumstances won’t change in the future and we will continue to monitor progress with the card-based system in the Northern Territory, particularly if a solution to the secondary supply problem becomes evident.”
Mr Waldron said after two personal visits to Alice Springs it was clear the card system was not a supply reduction measure itself rather a means to enforce alcohol restrictions.
Measures already in place in WA, such as supply restrictions; section 175 bans; prohibition orders; police barring notices and local accords provide a strong effective system.
