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You are here: Home / Other Government Involvement in RW / City of Sydney / Alcohol Free Zones in Redfern Waterloo / Redfern Alcohol Free Zone Consultation Submissions due by 14 April 2006

Redfern Alcohol Free Zone Consultation Submissions due by 14 April 2006

The comments below appeared in the 6 April 2006 Redfern Waterloo Issues Update encouraging community submissions to the AFZ Consultation.

In response to requests from residents, shop owners and local police the City of Sydney proposes to establish Alcohol-Free Zones (AFZ) in a number of parts of the Council area including in the Redfern Police Command Areas. According to the CoS notice the proposed AFZ aim to reduce alcohol related crime, violence and anti-social behaviour in identified locations to create a safer and more pleasant environment for residents, businesses and visitors. Once an AFZ is established it will be an offence to drink alcohol on any street or footpath where a zone exists 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a period of up to three years. Any existing or future licensed premise with an outdoor dining footway license issued by the City of Sydney is exempt from these restrictions.

A map of the proposed streets in Redfern can be downloaded from Map | PDF 512Kb . The area proposed for AFZs include Redfern St (between Gibbons St and Elizabeth St and including Lawson Square - Gibbons St to Lawson St, Lawson St to Regent St, Regent St to Redfern St); George St (between Redfern St and Turner St); Phillip St (between Elizabeth St and Walker St); Elizabeth St (between Redfern St and McEvoy St); Wellington St (between Pitt St and Walker St); Walker St (between Wellington St and Phillip St); Regent/Botany St to Regent St (Regent/Botany St from Redfern St to Raglan St, Raglan St from Botany St to Cope St, Cope St from Raglan St to Regent St); George St (between Raglan and John Sts); and James St (between Young and Marriott Sts).

Submissions relating to the establishment of the proposed Alcohol Free Zones listed below are invited from interested parties.  Comments for or against are welcome but must be in writing and addressed to the Office of the Chief Executive Officer, City of Sydney, GPO Box 1591, Sydney 2001 or email council@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or fax: 02 9265 9222 no later than Friday 14 April 2006.

An earlier attempt to introduce an Alcohol Free Zone in Redfern ran into trouble on anti-discrimination grounds. The proposals do not address the need to provide other options, such as wet centres, for street drinkers. Without addressing causes, such as homelessness and the needs of people with dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental illness, the people who these regulations are aimed at will just increase their non-productive interaction with police or be pushed into another area. Under the current proposal it would appear that successful enforcement would simply concentrate the problem on the Block and parts of Darlington which are outside the proposed AFZ. We encourage people concerned with this issue to make a submissions and suggestions to the City of Sydney Council.