Alcohol restrictions are likely to be imposed in Carnarvon, a tourist town in West Australia, to help address a rise in antisocial behaviour. Extra police have been sent to the Gascoyne region town, where businesses have been burgled and a police car was allegedly rammed by a stolen car last month. A local liquor accord, comprising of licensed business owners, police and government representatives, has been attempting to agree upon measures to reduce alcohol-related harm, yet without success. Therefore, Premier Mark McGowan has stated that it is time for the state government to intervene. He did not specify what measures could be introduced, but noted that Carnarvon lacks any real restrictions or rules regarding the sale and purchase of alcohol.
McGowan visited Carnarvon last week to meet with police, business owners and community leaders, and he believes that more needs to be done. The introduction of alcohol restrictions in Carnarvon could lead to similar rules being imposed in other regional communities, such as Laverton and Leonora. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is visiting Kalgoorlie and will host a $1500 per head fundraiser in Perth on Monday night, while Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud has urged him to visit Carnarvon and speak to community leaders. Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who will be holding events in Perth on Monday, has announced plans to visit Laverton and Leonora, claiming that the federal government’s scrapping of the cashless debit card program has led to “rivers of grog” flowing into regional communities. McGowan has not commented on the decision to end the cashless debit scheme, describing it as a federal matter.