A proposal to expand permanent existing alcohol-free zones
into the heart of the Aboriginal housing development would outlaw outdoor
drinking in eight more Redfern streets and two more in neighbouring
Chippendale.
The scheme would give police the power to confiscate alcohol
to help reduce substance abuse and criminal activity.
The Block is bound by Eveleigh, Vine, Louis and Caroline
streets. All four streets would be made alcohol-free.
Six streets surrounding the casino in Pyrmont, including
part of Pyrmont Street
where the casino is located, are also included in the plan. Three more streets
are proposed in Kings Cross and one each in Newtown and Surry Hills.
In June the council was criticised for imposing a partial
alcohol ban in Redfern that excluded the Block. Regent Street, Redfern Street and
parts of Elizabeth, George and Cope streets were included in that plan.
The new blueprint is being billed as a response to requests
by residents and police. Public submissions to the council can be made until
December 22.
The plan was welcomed by the Aboriginal Housing Company,
which has been pushing for a street drinking ban in the areas around the Block.
The company’s chief executive, Mick Mundine, said much of the alcohol problem
was caused by outsiders flocking to local parks and the area around Redfern
railway station.
“A lot of people are coming here who are not living
here, who sit around drinking and all that crap stuff, and then the Aboriginal
people in the community get blamed,” Mr Mundine said. “It is long
overdue for sure. What is going to happen is our people are going to have a
better start.”
He said it would be a difficult law to enforce but would
send an important message to people under 18, who make up half the Block’s
population.
“If there is a sign there, and police come and say,
‘You can’t do that’, I think people will respect it a bit more. People have got
to start thinking about children and the next generation.”
Redfern Legal Centre executive director Helen Campbell told
The Sydney Morning Herald in June: “These are chronic alcoholics. They’re
not going to stop drinking just because you put a sign up.”
When contacted by The Sun-Herald last week, she said she was
“not going to make a comment on Aboriginal policy”.
Source: The Sun-Herald