New WA police commissioner Col Blanch says he will support a ban on all takeaway alcohol apart from light beer in the Pilbara and Kimberley if it is deemed to be the most effective option for reducing alcohol-related harm.
A proposal to impose the hardline liquor restrictions across the state's north was endorsed by former police commissioner Chris Dawson as a possible measure to address high rates of family and domestic violence and juvenile crime.
It comes as WA's director of liquor licensing Lanie Chopping continues an independent inquiry investigating whether all takeaway alcohol, except light beer, should be banned in both regions.
"I do support the former commissioner's ban, but I'm also looking for community input," Commissioner Blanch said.
"If a blanket ban is going to work the best then I will support it, but if there are other options available to me that can actually target those causing the most harm without being a detriment to others, then I'm open to those discussions."
But Commissioner Blanch, who took over the role late last month, said he needed more time to decide a formal position.
"At the moment being two-and-a-half weeks, three weeks into the job, I haven't settled on that position but it's something I need to look further into," he said.
More time granted
The Liquor Commission last week extended the deadline for submissions to the inquiry after the Liquor Stores Association and Australian Hotels Association flagged a need for more time.
Both industry bodies cited concerns that more than 30 submissions had come from healthcare and social services providers, local government authorities and academics, rather than retailers.
Liquor stores argued they had only been given a short time frame to offer their perspective on the ban, and made an initial request to push out the deadline in November 2021.
The Liquor Commission had initially revised its deadline to July 2022, just as the state government's implementation of the Banned Drinkers Register and sly-grogging laws kicked into gear.
Licensees in nine northern towns will now have until September 1 to have their say on the proposal.
Ms Chopping said the consultation process was under review and development.
"We are looking at ways to be more transparent about feedback received and how decisions are made," she said.
Ban would 'marginalise' regions
The ABC last month revealed the investigation would take place behind closed doors, with submissions to be withheld from the public.
A Department of Local Government, Sport and Culture spokesperson at the time said if it was determined that further restrictions were in the public interests, a formal decision setting out the reasons would then be made public.
Broome Shire president Harold Tracey welcomed the decision to extend the submission deadline, but remained steadfast in his opposition to the ban which he said would "marginalise" residents.
"I think people in the Kimberley are just going to go, 'you know we already put up with a lot here already'," he said.
He said there would be an exodus from the region if residents were to "have something else taken from them".
"It just takes away another freedom that people have in the rest of the state so it's just unfair," Mr Tracey said.
Karratha and Districts Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jared Fitzclarence also welcomed the extension but said the proposal should be abandoned for towns such as Karratha.
He said the blanket ban across both regions was inappropriate because the level of alcohol-related harm in the town was similar to suburbs in Perth.
"This is a proposal that would never have been considered for even a moment if we were talking about metro destinations such as Midland or Malaga," he said.
"If there's a case for blanket ban within a smaller community, that should be a decision that's led by the leaders of the community not by a state-level public servant."
Self-determination
Speaking in Broome recently, Premier Mark McGowan reiterated his opposition to the ban which would be decided independently of government.
"We're urging far more targeted measures than a blanket set of restrictions because a blanket set of restrictions will have a devastating impact on the tourism industry across the Kimberley," he said.
He said the government wanted people in the Kimberley to have jobs and businesses to be vibrant.
"We have local self-determination and people wanting measures put in place … that's the view we've expressed to the Liquor Commission but they are an independent process of government," he said.
A final decision is due to made in 2023.
