GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE 1 - Cairns Regional Council...2014/04/16 · drug-fuelled violence. The...

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Agenda Governance Committee 16 April 2014 - #4333358

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

16 APRIL 20141

SUBMISSION ON THE DRAFT SAFE NIGHT OUT STRATEGY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION OF QUEENSLAND

Sarah Cook (SMC) : 8/20/6 : #4320396

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that Council makes a submission, to the Local Government Association of Queensland and the State Government, as outlined within this report in response to the Draft Safe Night Out Strategy prepared by the Queensland Government.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

On 23 March 2014, the Queensland Government released a comprehensive draft Safe Night out Strategy “an action plan to restore responsible behaviour and respect, stamp out alcohol and drug-related violence and ensure Queensland’s nightlife is safe for all”.

The strategy is on public consultation until 21 April 2014, the Local Government Association of Queensland has requested comments from local governments for inclusion in a combined submission on the strategy from the Association.

The strategy is three pronged based upon the principles of; changing the culture –everyone is responsible, bad behaviour won’t be tolerated, and safe and supportive environments. The strategy proposes to enable local communities, through the expansion of safe night out precincts and local boards to effectively manage and plan for high-volume, late night trading areas, including a proposed precinct within the Cairns CBD.

This report details Council’s submission, which identifies the potential impacts of the proposed strategy and liquor reform on the local government.

BACKGROUND:

The Safe Night Out Strategy has been introduced by the State Government and has been prepared following a response from over 12,000 Queenslanders to an online survey and over 8,000 comments through social media and aims to tackle alcohol and drug-fuelled violence.

The strategy is a wide ranging action plan with the objective to restore responsible behaviour and respect, stamp out alcohol and drug-related violence and ensure Queensland’s nightlife is safe for all. The strategy is three pronged and aims to achieve its objective through; changing the culture – everyone is responsible, bad behaviour won’t be tolerated, and safe and supportive environments.

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Changing the culture – everyone is responsible

Changing the culture and ensuring everyone is responsible is based on all Queenslanders having the right to enjoy a safe night out, and everyone having a part to play in bringing back the social norms and standards of good behaviour that will ensure that people behave responsibly and safely when they are out at night. The strategy aims to achieve this through setting clear standards of behaviour for patrols, licensees and police and this is achieved through education initiatives for school age students andawareness campaigns.

Bad behaviour won’t be tolerated

Bad behaviour won’t be tolerated and the action plan intends to stop unacceptable behaviour through; tougher penalties, increased police presence and powers, introducing requirements for mandatory identity scanners, opportunities for sobering up venues, ensuring responsible service of alcohol and enhancing enforcement and compliance provisions for police and liquor compliance officers, and ensuring the licensing system is responsive and accountable and enables community input through their local councils, for applications for extended hours and adult entertainment permits.

Safe and supportive environments

State and local governments, liquor accords, and community groups need to work together to build a diverse and vibrant Queensland nightlife. Safe Night Precincts for the management of specific areas are proposed with local boards for each precinct, with membership from a mixture of government and non-government organisations including local governments. Local boards will manage and plan for the precinct to address community safety issues including transport, lighting, public facilities and CCTV, providing funding to provide rest and recovery facilities through non-government organisations and raising funds to implement locally relevant and appropriate initiatives to effectively manage alcohol and drug related violence in the precinct. Additionally addressing concerns around safe and appropriate transport arrangements for late night trading venues.

The current consultation period is likely to be the last consultation undertaken prior to the initiatives identified within the strategy being implemented. Ongoing review of the action plan is intended to be undertaken 12 months post commencement.

Previous the State Government has established trial safe night out precincts in Townsville, Fortitude Valley and Surfers Paradise, and as detailed within the strategy these are intended to be expanded to 15 locations across the State, including the Cairns CBD. However the boundary of the Cairns CBD Safe Night Precinct is yet to be defined.

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COMMENT:

Existing local government participation

Cairns Regional Council already does a significant amount of work in the area of ensuring a ‘safe night out for all’ and works closely and collaboratively with other government and non-government organisations in reducing instances of violence and to ensure a safe and secure public space throughout the Cairns CBD and surrounding area.

This is achieved through initiatives such as the Community Safety Advisory Committee, the Cairns City Licensees Safety Association (CCLSA) and the CCLSA Liquor Accord, the Cairns Safer Streets Taskforce and the CBD Safety Summit. The CBD Safety summit occurs regularly and has a stakeholder membership consisting of Council, the Member for Cairns, the OLGR, QPS, CCLSA, Taxi’s, QSP, Restaurant and Catering Queensland, Queensland Hotels Association, FNQ Ports & DTMR. The objective of the Summit is to aim to reduce alcohol related harm to the community and improve the safety and amenity of the Cairns CBD for the city’s citizens and tourists.

Council provides CCTV operations and patrols within the Cairns CBD with the objective to identifying and prevent illegal and or inappropriate behaviour in the Cairns CBD, being behaviour which has the potential to alarm or threaten citizens, or to result in damage of property and maintain the good order of the Cairns CBD.

Elements of the action plan which may affect local governments

Whilst the strategy is wide ranging and comprehensive, it lacks specific detail and clarification on the roles and responsibilities of the different entities required to work collaboratively to ensure a safe night out for all. In the absence of specific detail it is difficult to quantify the extent of Council’s roles and responsibilities in implementing the initiatives of the action plan. However, the initiatives of the action plan which Council is likely to be directly involved in, are:

Requirements for offenders to undertake community service, for example cleaning up areas of a safe night precinct – which could include areas or facilities which are under local government control. Enabling communities to have a greater say on applications for extended liquor trading hours and adult entertainment permits, through their local councils; Establishing safe night precincts for the effective management of areas – A safe night precinct is intended to be declared within the Cairns CBD. However, the extent of this precinct is yet to be identified. Establishing safe night precinct local boards to manage and plan for the precinct to address safety issues including transport, lighting, public facilities and CCTV. Local governments are expected to participate in the membership of Safe Night Precinct local boards.

However, it is important to note the Cairns Regional Council already operates proactively within this field and there may not be a significant increase in the role or responsibility of the local government through the implementation of the proposed initiatives of the action plan.

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Grounds of submission

Council acknowledges the need to implement an action plan to restore responsible behaviour and respect, stamp out alcohol and drug related violence and ensure Queensland’s night life is safe for all.

A collaborative approach towards the action plan between government and non-government organisation is welcomed. Cairns Regional Council already undertakes a collaborative approach to ensuring a safe and secure public space throughout the Cairns CBD and immediately surrounding areas.

The action plan contained within the draft Safe Night Out Strategy is broad and contains sweeping initiatives, and whilst these initiatives are supported, further detail around some of the proposed initiatives is necessary in order to provide specific comment. Specifically around the identification of boundaries for proposed Safe Night Precincts and the establishment of accompanying local boards, and clarifying their role and responsibility.

Furthermore whilst there are a number of initiatives targeted to the proposed Safe Night Precincts, venues exist outside of these precincts as well. Greater consideration to the application of the initiatives to venues trading later into the night and outside of the precincts should be given.

Council would welcome further opportunity to refine the role and responsibility of local governments within implementing the action plan and in the identification of the boundaries of the Safe Night Precincts.

OPTIONS:

1. Make a submission to the State Government and the Local Government Association of Queensland as outlined in this report regarding the Safe Night Out Strategy; or

2. Not make a submission to the State Government and the Local Government Association of Queensland regarding the Safe Night Out Strategy.

ATTACHMENTS:

Safe Night Out Strategy

Sarah Cook Planning Officer

Kelly ReastonGeneral Manager Planning & Environment

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Appendix 1 – safe night out strategy

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GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE 1 - Cairns Regional Council...2014/04/16 · drug-fuelled violence. The...

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