War pub hoons grows

Daniel Burdon

22Jan10

THE war on bad behaviour by Alice Springs pubs and clubs is likely to to be taken up by licensed premises in Tennant Creek and Katherine.

Alice Springs Licensees Alcohol Accord chairman Chris Vaughan of Bojangles said the accord had impressed venue owners in Katherine as a way to stop louts acting up in pubs.
Mr Vaughan said interested licensees in both Katherine and Tennant Creek were looking to form accords in their own town, and there was the possibility of an accord in Darwin.
He said: "I went to Tennant Creek and Katherine, where I met licensee Kevin Johns and he said there were four or five licensees investigating setting one up there. We had an info session with about 16 people who were interested in the accord and what it does."
There is evidence ASLAA is succeeding after a quiet New Years Eve in which only one underage person was penalised with a two-year ban from the age of 18.
Mr Vaughan said: "This came after our first official meeting since December, when we banned three people from venues, two of whom were underage and one who committed an assault in a pub.
"Certainly ... now the marketing activity has ramped up, and with the double barrings penalty for New Year's Eve and Day, people are starting to get the message. Antisocial behaviour seems to be on the decline."
Mr Vaughan said there were now 26 licensed premises tin the ASLAA and more signing on.
He said: "The biggest indicator that I see is people are showing more respect to staff and licensed premises in general, if New Year was anything to go by. The Accord is starting to get some real traction and people are holding themselves accountable."
Any fears that the spread of the accord across the NT would be the death of the frontier pub were rejected by Mr Vaughan.
He said: "Not likely. I don't think it would be the end of the frontier pub. There's always going to be that cheekiness and character, but that doesn't and shouldn't mean people getting glassed in pubs.
"Darwin has a reputation for the capital of broken jaws _ that's not what going out is about.
"I think you're always going to have that cheekiness and establishments will always have that mix of blue singlets and cowboys and working guys and girls.
"It's just the behaviour of people that will change."