Page 4793 - Week 16 - Monday, 25 November 1991
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MRS NOLAN (12.24): I will be supporting this Bill in principle and the amendment, which Mr Stefaniak has indicated will reduce the provision for 200 metres from a shop or licensed premises to a more appropriate 50 metres. The principal concept this Bill sets out to achieve is a sound one. In my view, there should be other ways of achieving the same result, in particular by making our interchanges safer; but there just are not. There is no other way. It is unfortunate; but we will have to look at banning alcohol, particularly at bus interchanges, as the only way of solving the problem.
Often groups of bored young people - it is peer pressure working to the full - make bus interchanges, and in particular Woden, very unsafe. It is not only unsafe; sometimes it is dangerous for the majority of people travelling through it. School students and particularly the elderly should not have to put up with that sort of behaviour. For many shopping centres where there are problems, this piece of legislation will help alleviate the problem. However, there are some shopping centres where there is no problem at all, and banning drinking in these areas, if there was another way, certainly would be unfortunate. But there seems to be no other way the problem can be solved.
Other areas come to mind that have not been addressed. Woden Town Park is one that comes to mind. In my view, it is because the park is opposite the bus interchange and next door to the Woden Youth Centre. Certain elements hang about drinking in the town park and the young people visiting the youth centre are often hassled. Similar problems occur outside the Tuggeranong Youth Centre, where there have been at times, I am told, groups of young people hassling young people going into and coming out of the youth centre.
Mr Jensen: And the skating rink.
MRS NOLAN: Also the skating rink. These are problem areas and they should be able to be proclaimed dry areas. I would have preferred to see the legislation allow for certain areas to be determined by the community and the people involved. However, unfortunately, I do not think that is able to happen. This morning I had a long discussion with David Hunt, QC, about that very point, and his advice to me was that regulation appears to be the best way this can be done. There probably is no other way to solve the problem. However, I hope that any government will recognise problem areas if they arise and determine the dry area by regulation.
Any legislation which assists the police in carrying out their duties, any legislation which will assist in allowing people to travel safely on public transport, should be supported. I remind members that the original legislation
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