Ceduna drinking 'spiralling out of control'
Authorities in the South Australian west coast township of Ceduna say the town's drinking problem is spiralling out of control, claiming it is the worst it has been in decades.
The council wants to restrict welfare spending to booze-free outlets in a bid to break the deadly cycle.
“It is totally out of control,” said Ceduna mayor Allan Suter.
“People are just drinking themselves to death.”
Bruce Thompson runs the K-9 special operations squad and says he has saved a dozen lives by removing drunk people from the Eyre Highway.
“I can guarantee you that person would have died if we hadn’t got her off the road,” he said watching video of the drunken woman stumbling up the highway.
“There will be a fatality very shortly.”
Authorities have tried a raft of intervention methods.
Last year an identification system began, limiting alcohol sales to two litres per person per day
It had an initial effect, with authorities citing an 80 per cent drop in ambulance call-outs, but now drinkers are getting others to help fuel their addiction.
Some locals profit from buying alcohol for them, while visitors are also confronted.
“You always get people asking you to buy them a charge,” one local told 7News.
Businesses say the behaviour is driving tourists out of the town.
Roadhouse manager Greg Limbert told 7News: “We think it’s in the vicinity of about $30,000 a week, which is $1.5million a year, which is quite an impact for a small town.”
The Council says the only solution is to restrict 70 per cent of welfare benefits to a card, which could only be used at outlets that don’t sell alcohol.
The issue has left the community divided.
While some welcome any move to try and curb the problem, others say it is taking away people’s rights.
“I’ve lost a few friends and relatives through alcohol, so anything that would help them is a step in the right direction at the moment,” one local said.
While another told 7News: “You’re old enough to make your own decision… you’re entitled to do what you want, whether it is drink, smoke or gamble with your money.”
