Aboriginal wellbeing and liquor licensing legislation in Western Australia

Abstract

This paper is based on the results of a project undertaken as the basis for a submission to the committee established to review the Western Australian Liquor Licensing Act 1988. It reports on key issues relating to liquor licensing, as identified by members of regional Aboriginal organisations. Among these issues are the promotion of alcohol consumption and misuse, discriminatory practices by licensees and the police and the need for greater community involvement in liquor licensing decisions. To address these issues, members of the participating organisations proposed: inclusion of a harm-minimisation objective in the Act, education and training programs for the public, licensees and the police, and industry funding for harm-minimisation programs.