The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) WA has welcomed today’s start of the Banned Drinkers Register (BDR) trial in the Pilbara region, saying the targeted measure is a step in the right direction in addressing problem drinking.
AHA(WA) CEO Bradley Woods said for over 10 years now, industry and the community had been advocating for a policy that prevented identified individuals from purchasing alcohol, as opposed to the imposition of blanket restrictions.
“The BDR trial is the product of many years of work between industry, Government and the community and we hope this heralds the start of era where policy in this space is targeted at those who require assistance as opposed to archaic, blanket restrictions that have proved ineffective and unwelcome.”
“If the objective is to address social problems caused by those who have demonstrated an inability to drink responsibly, it is critical that we implement policies that targeted those individuals, prevent them from purchasing alcohol and provide them with the support they need.”
“The trial has the strong support of industry and we will continue to work closely with authorities throughout the trial to ensure it is successful, in the hope that it is expanded to other areas of the state.”
“We commend the work of the WA Government and in particular Minister Paul Papalia, who has understood the need to pursue targeted solutions and move away from area-wide restrictions that punish law-abiding community members.”
“We also thank the Liquor Stores Association for their collaboration in the lead up to the trial.”
