Northbridge troublemakers will soon find themselves banned from licensed premises for extended periods.

Racing and Gaming Minister Terry Waldron today said the State Government would be amending the Liquor Control Act to allow licensees to ban individuals from their premises and the Police Commissioner  to ban a person for up to 12 months from an individual licensed premise or multiple premises within a designated area.

“The fact is we have a level of antisocial behaviour in Northbridge, but why should the thousands of Western Australians and visitors to our great State who enjoy a night out in Northbridge responsibly be disadvantaged because of the actions of a handful of fools who spoil things for everyone else?” Mr Waldron said.

“What we are doing with these amendments is directly targeting those troublemakers.”

The Minister said the Police Commissioner currently has the ability to seek an order from the Director of Liquor Licensing banning a person from working in or attending licensed premises.

However, these provisions are aimed at providing the means by which long term or life bans can be imposed on the worst offenders and therefore involve extensive legal proceedings.

“At the other end of the scale, licensees and police can summarily impose 24-hour bans on troublemakers but are constrained in their ability to enforce bans for longer periods,” Mr Waldron said.

“These amendments will effectively enable police and licensees to give lower level troublemakers a few weeks or months on the bench where they can contemplate the consequences of their actions.”

While a barring issued by the licensee will not be subject to review, a person subject to a barring notice issued by the Police Commissioner for a period in excess of three months may seek a review by the Liquor Commission.

It will be an offence for a person who is barred from a licensed premises or designated area to enter, or attempt to enter, a licensed premises or designated area to which that the barring relates.

The Minister said the Government welcomed the electronic ID scanning systems being introduced by some Northbridge licensees on a voluntary basis as a proactive move to address the issue of unsociable behaviour.

“This is the sort of initiative that shows the licensees in the area are prepared to do what they can to help isolate and identify troublemakers and keep them out of licensed premises and stop them impacting on others using our premier entertainment precinct,” he said.

“This will link well with the mid-term barring orders we will be introducing.

“This is part of the Liberal-National Government’s plan to reclaim Northbridge for the safety and enjoyment of Western Australians.”