Civil liberty concerns over alcohol free zones
Image: Thomas Kelly, who died last July after being assaulted in Kings Cross
The City of Sydney Council this week endorsed a proposal for eight new Alcohol Free Zones and two new Alcohol Prohibited Areas in the Sydney LGA, in a bid to curb alcohol related violence.
The additional ‘dry’ areas, which include significant public land around the Redfern-Waterloo social housing estates, bring the number of Alcohol Free Zones in Sydney to 333, and the number of Alcohol Prohibited Areas to 249.
Alcohol Free Zones apply to streets and footpaths and are up for renewal every four years. Alcohol Prohibited Areas cover public parks, plazas and open spaces, and are not subject to expiry but must be adjacent to an active Alcohol Free Zone.
Nine of the City’s ten councillors voted in favour of “extending and renewing” the zones and areas at Monday night’s Council meeting, with only Greens Councillor Irene Doutney opposing the plan.
Ms Doutney said she could not support it, as the Greens felt it was discriminatory.
“The Greens have a long history of opposing Alcohol Free Zones. We believe that they are class structured and that most of the people who are moved on are public housing tenants, Aboriginals and street drinkers,” she said.
Ms Doutney told City News that while she believed Redfern Police made efforts to enforce Alcohol Free Zones in a sensitive way, “the reality is the middle class couple having a bottle of wine in Redfern Park will be OK but if it’s Aboriginals in hoodies having a drink, they’ll be told to leave”.
The state’s peak civil liberties group also expressed concerns that Alcohol Free Zones were being used to target the vulnerable.
NSW Council of Civil Liberties President Cameron Murphy said: “I don’t have a problem with them managing public drunkenness in Kings Cross but these laws generally impact on vulnerable people, not drunk clubbers.
“It’s the homeless person with an alcohol addiction who bears the brunt.”
Mr Murphy opined that the measures were part of a wider campaign against homeless people.
“I think it’s fair to say Council is actively discouraging homeless people from the inner city. All you have to do is look at the street furniture and the way the park benches have strategically-placed arm rests to stop people lying down.
“I’ve heard reports of Council using sprinklers to stop homeless people congregating and sleeping in certain areas.”
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City had established Alcohol Free Zones in response to community and police complaints about noise and anti-social behaviour.
She rebuffed Mr Murphy’s claims, pointing out that “the City of Sydney … is the only Council in Australia with a dedicated homelessness unit”.
“Each year, we help many thousands of homeless people, providing them with information, advice, accommodation and practical support,” she said.
In related news, Council unanimously endorsed a Lord Mayoral Minute at Monday night’s Council meeting in support of the Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation. The document requested in part that the City work with the foundation on initiatives aimed at reducing alcohol related violence.
The parents and sister of Mr Kelly, who died last July after being assaulted in Kings Cross, were present for the meeting.
Councillor Jenny Green, who lives in the street where Mr Kelly was bashed, praised the foundation and accused the State Government of “taking far too long to bite the bullet on street violence”.
Labor Councillor Linda Scott said “lots of people in the one area drinking too much” had made Kings Cross dangerous, and called on the State Government to give Councils more powers to take liquor licences away.
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