rotto boozo II

You'll recall our first exciting instalment on Greg Brimble's liquor license work: he got one for the Thomson Bay store in 1999, but couldn't trade on Sunday.

He seems to have been able to trade on Sunday from 2002, according to this,
which was a bid to extend the permit.

In the document Greg said Rotto had a resident population of around 500, and crime stats "are very low": 72 assaults from June 2004 to May 2007, compared to the riotous metropolis of Fremantle, which gets 118,000 visitors and had 1411 assaults in the same period.

Greg said giving him another extended trading permit would mean "...a much needed packaged liquor service required by the visiting public and residents on a Sunday during opening hours which the visiting public are used to", and contribute "...to the streetscape and atmosphere of the central part of town as it is also a meeting place where the majority of people do their grocery shopping".

As in 1999, the police objected. "Extended opening times can increase the risk of street drinking", they said, after pointing out you have to be out of your bungalow by 9am, and not book in to same until 2pm. They had to deal with 228 booze consumption tasks: noise, anti-social behaviour, litter, damage, burglary, assault et al.

"Intoxicated youth who historically gather on Pinky beach during peak times have indicated on several occasions that alcohol obtained by them was originally purchased by various means from the General Store Liquor Store," the police said.

"There is an established culture of excessive alcohol consumption by all age groups on Rottnest Island which is a concern to Police who believe greater access to alcohol does not serve the best interests of the community...the Nurse Manager and Senior Ranger support my objections in this case."

The executive director of public health, Dr Andrew Robertson, also didn't want Greg to be able to sell booze on Sundays.

But the director of liquor licensing granted the extension.

"I accept on the basis of evidence presented in the intervention of the Executive Director Public Health and based on my own knowledge of current issues, that alcohol related harm does occur on Rottnest Island. In this regard, action under the Act has been taken in the past in respect of all
packaged liquor outlets on Rottnest Island to ensure that harm is minimised, particularly during School Leaver's week each year and on New Year's Eve each year. The licensing authority has worked, and continues to work, closely with key stakeholders on the Island and with the licensee so as to implement cooperative and conciliatory strategies that minimize that harm. I am satisfied that those ongoing actions and initiatives are appropriate."

The permit expires 29 June 2013.