Community, council reject alcohol restrictions

City of Karratha councillors have decided not to support implementing new daily takeaway alcohol restrictions after the majority of respondents to a community survey voted against the changes.

The West Pilbara Liquor Accord is considering introducing in the Pilbara identification-scanning liquor restrictions which would limit alcohol purchases to one carton of full-strength beer and either three bottles of wine or one bottle of spirits per person per day.

However the City’s survey results, considered at a council meeting last night, showed public opinion was mainly against those restrictions.

Out of 968 respondents, about 580 or 60 per cent were against them, with about half commenting the measures did not sufficiently target problem drinkers.

36 per cent were in support and four per cent were undecided.

The final decision on takeaway alcohol restrictions is beyond local government authority, but council may be consulted for their position.

City of Karratha Mayor Peter Long said while the results showed opinion was very polarised, a large number of people had responded and council would be informed by the majority.

“We thought this was the best way to do it because everyone’s got their own opinion on these things,” he said.

“We’ve got a significant community response… and I think that was a fair and open way to do it.”

Public support was much higher for a possible future trial of the cashless welfare card in the Pilbara, with more than 77 per cent of respondents stating they were for it.

The City survey was held online from late December to February.