Taking Action

There are a number of actions that Local Governments can do to reduce alcohol-related harm in the community.

What can local governments do?

In a survey of Western Australian Local Governments, the majority of respondents agreed that Local Governments have a role in reducing alcohol-related problems (82%). Local Government officers believe that there are several strategies that they can undertake to address such problems. These strategies included:

  • Developing and enforcing alcohol policies, especially in relation to the use of council-owned facilities.
  • Town planning to create safer environments.
  • Involvement in liquor licensing matters, including commenting on liquor licence applications to the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor and monitoring licensed venues.
  • Creating local programs as alternatives to alcohol consumption.
  • Partnerships with local agencies.
  • Enforcement of local laws (Drug and Alcohol Office, 2006).

Benefits

  1. Preventing alcohol problems rather than simply managing/reacting to them can result in significant cost savings for Local Governments, such as less damage to public and private property, less rubbish and less community dispute.
  2. Creating safer environments can positively influence local income, through ‘family-friendly’ venues and increased tourism.
  3. Creating a community that is a safe place to work, live and play means that local people spend their money locally.


Key areas where Local Government can have the greatest impact include:

Creating safer drinking settings

Changing community standards and expectations around drinking behaviour and creating safer drinking environments will support safer drinking choices. Some of the things that Local Government can do to create safer drinking settings include:

  • Placement of conditions on development approvals for licensed premises that incorporate designing out crime principles and reduce alcohol-related problems.
  • Establishing clear guidelines and requirements regarding alcohol at events and communicate them to event organisers, licensees and the community.
  • For events over a certain number of people, require a submission from the applicant detailing what and how responsible server practices will be put in place to manage the sale and supply of alcohol to prevent drunkenness, disorderly and antisocial behaviour, property damage and access to alcohol by juveniles. This should include the venue and within the vicinity of the venue.
Environmental design and planning that supports community wellbeing
Community wellbeing can be ensured through detailed planning procedures. Some examples to support community wellbeing are:
  • Developing/amending of local planning policies to address land use and physical/urban design issues that minimise alcohol-related problems and promote community safety.
  • Endorsing culturally secure principles for engaging with Aboriginal people in relevant policy.
  • Requesting that the Local Government attend local alcohol accord meetings to discuss relevant local alcohol issues and engage other stakeholders in strategies to prevent the problems from occurring.
  • Requesting that all relevant Local Government departments (eg. rangers, waste management) collect and record information centrally on alcohol-related matters (ongoing or for set periods during the year). For example, if collecting information on litter, the following could be collected:
    • Where the alcohol-related litter was found.
    • The contents of the litter (brand of alcohol, volume).
    • Any injuries reported in relation to the litter.
    • The clean-up costs associated with the litter.
    • Keeping an alcohol-related noise complaints database.
  • Becoming involved in anti-littering and litter prevention campaigns eg. Keep Australia Beautiful or Clean Up Australia initiatives.
Managing the physical availability of alcohol
Local Government is able to influence how readily alcohol is made available in the community. Some strategies that will help to do this include:
  • Amending the Town Planning Scheme and associated policy to place limits on numbers and types of licensed premises in a certain area.
  • As a minimum standard, consider consistency with the Accord strategies and goals (where one exists) when providing approvals to planning applications, liquor licenses, use of Council facilities and other relevant local government business.
  • Including relevant policy a set limit on the number of large events your Local Government will approve each year and identify acceptable and unacceptable locations for such events.
  • Assessing new liquor licence applications according to:

1. The potential impact upon the community with regards to public health, harm, safety, noise or disturbance.

2. The potential impact upon the amenity of the area, for example property damage and littering.

3. Whether the application is in the public interest, including risk management considerations.

  • Liaising with stakeholders such as police and health regarding licence applications, including events to determine if the licence is likely to lead to alcohol-related problems and related issues in the community.


Funding Opportunites

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Let's keep alcohol under control

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