Page 4779 - Week 16 - Monday, 25 November 1991
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deal about licensing hours, and there is no doubt that I would still like to see limitation of licensing hours. We were not being draconian; we were arguing only for a limitation in the early hours of the morning - up to breakfast-time.
I would support now any reasonable, careful, thoughtful legislation which does try to get at the very great problems related to liquor in the Territory. We have already asked that a liquor inquiry be pursued. I notice that the Labor Government, usefully, has produced a little program that gets at some of the more superficial aspects of liquor.
I want to mention another inquiry of the Social Policy Committee that is also related to the problems of liquor. Given that that report is still being discussed and has not been finalised, I am limited in what I can say. However, in response to Mr Connolly, given what we have heard, given the places we have been to, given the very great worry about the extent of liquor problems, given all we have learned since that last report, I have no hesitation in supporting Mr Stefaniak's Bill.
MR JENSEN (11.38): In relation to the issue of interchanges and people travelling through interchanges, quite a number of the complaints and concerns that have been expressed to me during my period in the Assembly have related to the behaviour of some of the younger members of our community. This concern has been expressed to me particularly by elderly people, who feel threatened by and are concerned about the behaviour of some of the less fortunate people who congregate in these areas.
One of the problems is that the police have limited opportunities to stop this sort of behaviour because it falls just short of actual physical violence, and there are some problems associated with that. It is not so much a case of being touched or assaulted by one of these people, who often are under the influence of alcohol and are quite young; it is the fear of what could happen. It is for this reason that I think it is appropriate that some changes be made to the law in relation to drinking in certain areas.
Over the years, restrictions have been placed on drinking in certain public places, and for good reasons. The Rally was not really prepared to support the original proposal put forward by Mr Stefaniak, because of the all-encompassing coverage proposed. I note that the very sensible amendment Mr Stefaniak is proposing will reduce the distance to 50 metres, which will more than cover the sorts of issues Mr Connolly was concerned about.
I do not believe that Mr Connolly mows his lawn at the bus interchange, and it will not be a problem for Mr Connolly because the bus stop that is near his place will not be covered by the amendment. I wonder why Mr Connolly chose to refer to it in the first place. Talk about
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