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Media Release

21 October 2009

Ban on Public Drinking in Yarra

Drinking alcohol on the streets of Yarra will be banned from 1 December, Yarra City Council decided last night.

Council resolved to introduce Local Law No.8, which will empower police to request that people drinking in unlicensed areas on the streets of Yarra at any time of the day pour out opened drinks.

Police will be able to issue fines of $100 if people do not follow a direction to cease consuming alcohol, or seal a container of alcohol, or pour alcohol into a police-approved container, or surrender any opened container of alcohol.

The ban will not apply from 9am-9pm in local parks and reserves, enabling people to still enjoy alcohol responsibly during daytime hours as part of social gatherings.

The ban will not come into general effect until 1 December, to enable Council and the local police to develop a protocol for the sensitive implementation of the law, particularly in regards to indigenous people, young people, homeless people and people with a mental illness.

However, the ban will be applied to the upcoming Johnston Street Fiesta, prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in unlicensed areas from 6am on Saturday 21 November to midnight on Sunday 22 November. In regards to festivals, the ban will also apply to the Victoria Street Lunar Festival in January 2010.

Council will review the implementation of the law every three months over the next year, with information to be sought regularly from the police about the number of warnings issued, other actions undertaken and the locations involved.

Mayor Cr Amanda Stone said Council’s decision to introduce the law was aimed at reducing the incidence of alcohol-related violence and self-harm in Yarra’s entertainment precincts.

“Yarra has a significantly higher rate of alcohol-related assaults and alcohol-related hospital admissions than the Victorian average,” Cr Stone said.

“This local law is not going to solve all alcohol-related problems in our community overnight,” she said.

“However, it is hoped that it will provide police with a tool to intervene earlier to stop people getting further intoxicated and prevent situations getting out of control.”

 


further information icon Further information

For media enquiries about this issue, please contact:
Ainslie Gowan
Coordinator Communications and Public Relations
Richmond Town Hall
333 Bridge Road Richmond
Telephone 9205 5177, 0400 933 700
Email ainslie.gowan@yarracity.vic.gov.au

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