Advertisement

Call for city pubs to close early

Kalgoorlie-Boulder pubs should close by midnight to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence, according to a major national study.

The Deakin University report, which surveyed 6800 people in three metropolitan cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Perth) and two regional cities (Woollongong and Geelong), found responsible service of alcohol measures are insufficient for tackling Australia’s culture of “determined drunkenness”. This was in part due to the high prevalence of pre-drinking – planned drinking, usually at home, before going to a social event – which was the strongest predictor of harm and intoxication.

The report’s author, Associate Professor Peter Miller, says the findings apply to Kalgoorlie-Boulder due to higher-than-average rates of alcohol consumption as well as the high density of pubs.

“The evidence says that for every hour you stay open after midnight you get a 10 and 20 per cent increase in assaults and drink-driving and injuries,” Mr Miller said.

“The later you run pubs, the more people are going to entertain themselves before they go out. If your pubs are shutting at midnight people are going to get there earlier so they can socialise with other people.”

The majority of pubs in Kalgoorlie-Boulder close at midnight on week nights, but several close later on Friday and Saturday nights.