Party Australia: Prohibition on St Kilda´s streets

Party Australia: Prohibition on St Kilda´s streets

Alcohol is now longer allowed on St Kilda´s streets to curb antisocial behaviour
By: Oliver Koester
February 7, 2006
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A NEW law will be introduced by the end of this month, prohibiting people carrying open cans or bottles of alcohol on the streets between 11pm and 7am in a bid to curb antisocial behaviour.

It has become a regular ritual for many Melburnians, to start the Saturday night bar-hopping from one venue to the next with a takeaway beer. But that kind of revelry will soon be forbidden in St Kilda as the streets of Port Phillip Council face a ban on booze.

Inspector Chris Duthie of the St Kilda police district has fought 12 month to get a ban. "St Kilda has about 600 licensed premises and at weekends the population triples from 90,000 to 270,000. It can be pretty hard to control," he said. Till this day public drinking was only prevented duric specific events such as the Australian Grand Prix, and on summer nights at some foreshore car parks.

The new law will be introduced this month, enabling police to crack down on rowdy behaviour during the Commonwealth Games. St Kilda will stage several Games events, including the triathlon and marathon, and Albert Park's aquatic centre will be the venue for swimming and diving events.

Peter Tapp has lived at Summerland Mansions on the corner of Acland and Fitzroy streets for 15 years. He said residents were sick of dealing with drunken behaviour. "We have had a lot of trouble with people sitting in our stairwell drinking, with the noise, and every morning we are picking up bottles left on our doorstep," he said.

According to Inspector Duthie the problem has worsened in the past few years. "Five years ago, most (assaults) were on premises but now about 80 per cent of them are occurring outside," he said. Port Phillip Mayor Janet Bolitho said the law was meant to reduce bad behaviour, not end the municipality's "party central" tag. "Some apartment blocks […] now lock outside gates to stop their entrances being covered with broken bottles, vomit and urine," she said.

Police will be able to issue fines of up to $200 under the law, which comes in at the end of this month.


Resource:  The Age - February 07, 2006