I have watched as the State leaders have made the decisions while the Feds have seemed not to have the legal power or initiative to take the lead in dealing with COVID.
A further example is the difference in additude between WA & NT re alcohol sales. In the top end of WA each person is allowed to purchase 3 bottles of wine per sale , pubs open at 11am. In NT (Katherine) no limit on quantity and pubs open 2pm. If you are heading off and want to restock 2pm is impossible. To add insult to injury there was a Police officer checking ID prior to entry at a prominent national outlet in Katherine. He also wanted to know where I was staying. Happy to show my Border Pass even though he did not ask to see same. This is my first time in NT & north WA and it will be my last By motorhome or any other means. I am massively disappointed at the lack of a coordinated approach for what is meant to be one country.
-- Edited by Geeco on Wednesday 7th of July 2021 06:06:16 PM
-- Edited by Geeco on Wednesday 7th of July 2021 06:07:20 PM
I have watched as the State leaders have made the decisions while the Feds have seemed not to have the legal power or initiative to take the lead in dealing with COVID.
A further example is the difference in additude between WA & NT re alcohol sales. In the top end of WA each person is allowed to purchase 3 bottles of wine per sale , pubs open at 11am. In NT (Katherine) no limit on quantity and pubs open 2pm. If you are heading off and want to restock 2pm is impossible. To add insult to injury there was a Police officer checking ID prior to entry at a prominent national outlet in Katherine. He also wanted to know where I was staying. Happy to show my Border Pass even though he did not ask to see same. This is my first time in NT & north WA and it will be my last By motorhome or any other means. I am massively disappointed at the lack of a coordinated approach for what is meant to be one country.
-- Edited by Geeco on Wednesday 7th of July 2021 06:06:16 PM
-- Edited by Geeco on Wednesday 7th of July 2021 06:07:20 PM
Maybe if you actually lived in the region you,d see why it is needed at the bottle shops. I worked and lived in many of the affected areas. I also at one time had to have a permit to buy alcohol. No big deal. It helps keep out the sly grog runners and the ones who are on probation or have alcohol problems (which many do!).
Dicko1 is right, some areas have real problems with alcohol,we couldn't buy alcohol on the day they got their welfare money.That is so the women could buy necessary items before the men wasted it on grog,so sad but true.Just go with the rules.
I am not naive and I do understand why the rules re alcohol are in place but why should the responsible folk have to share the load? That was not the main thrust of this post it was about the inconsistency of how the issues are treated differently by each state, there is no national approach to Covid or alcohol abuse. Another example - road speed limits: in WA max 110kph in NT 130kph yet IMHO the National 1 in WA is a significantly better road than in NT. I am referring to the road from Kununurra to Katherine. I must say I was very impressed with Hwy 1 in WA despite the heavy load of road trains, maybe it has to do with the substrate difference between the two states. I have travelled extensively in outback eastern states and WA roads are much more to the liking of the suspension on my motorhome.
"I've lost three brothers to home brew," he said, leaning against a tree along one of Mornington Island's pristine rivers.
"I've watched my brother get his toes chopped off, I watched one of them, you know, he went blind and they all died in their 30s 35, 37 and one died just before he turned 40.
"It's personal for everyone because we're all losing family members quicker than we should.
"Home brew you've got no idea of the effects it's caused."
The Mornington Shire Mayor said he wants to overturn the state-imposed alcohol ban on the island.
It has been a dry community since 2009 but the ban has led to a proliferation of home brew.
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"No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full."
I totally agree it is UNFAIR we are handicapped when purchasing alcohol. why should I not be able to buy a beer at 1.30pm, I am NOT the problem, but I am treated as the problem, what happened to "one country, one law?"
I was in Kununara, NO LIQUOR shops open till 3pm, that's right 3pm, so go inside , policeman sitting at counter, I had a bottle of Sauv Blanc, got told NO, you can't buy wine till 4pm, but got told I could buy whisky now etc, but NOT wine till 4pm, no common, absolutely bull, I am treated like a criminal, the law should be "they" who have problems should wait till 4pm, while us normal people can buy at 10 am, that way we can continue our trip
We live in a country of 7 states and many islands that come under the jurisdiction of those states.
Sometimes there are regulations introduced to deal with local conditions. These regulations apply to many conditions. Speed limits, trading hours, are just some as is the serving of alcohol. If you are a visitor you should respect the fact that these regulations are in place for a very good reason. If you need alcohol and are visiting a town or area where there is a restriction then buy it before you get there, or wait until the allocated and regulated time to purchase it. You arent being hard done by with regulations to the sale of alcohol, you actually are benefitting from these rules as many of these town have become much better places to visit since controls were in place. But really if you don't want to visit any area because you don't agree with a local law then that is your choice. Move on and visit the capital cities, you will enjoy it more there.
-- Edited by Rob Driver on Thursday 8th of July 2021 08:36:57 AM
I'll just say , yes I tend to agree with above comments, but there's a problem ...... it's ok to say .... if your not happy with a towns rule on alcholol just move on to the next town ....... well that is not practical, because as you should know, there's rules cover thousands of km up north to cape, all across to Darwin, all the way to Broome and further south, so really you are saying around 30 -40% of Australia I should just ",move on if not happy" well you know that is not right, and again, why am I treated do differently when I'm not the problem.
look at car hooning, we DON'T stop all crush all cars for speeding, we ONLY TACKLE the problem drivers, so to should it be that way with alcohol
I found it strange when I first moved to Darwin in 1969 that you could buy alcohol at supermarkets, especially knowing that there was a booze problem in the state. Thankfully there were no such laws in SA or my old man could have got it from more places than the pub - it eventually killed him at the age of 59.
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Warren
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
The real problem is that the Aboriginal issue is complex and probably insoluble and all we seem to be able to do is fix today's problem rather than finding an encompassing and long term solution. And of course we are *terrified* of treating Aborigines differently because of their particular needs and issues so I doubt a solution or even much of an improvement will ever be found.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
Travellers from Sydney and Melbourne decrying the loss of their god given privilege to consume alcohol anytime they want.
Try living in some of the towns you are complaining about for an extended period, then maybe you will understand.
If you say you are not part of the problem, and you don't want to be part of the solution, how would you solve the problem, and does it fit into the modern idiom of "equity and diversity".
There are many people who consume alcohol, and other drugs, daily without issue.
It used to be said that consuming a moderate amount of alcohol with your daily meal is good for you, but more recent studies suggest that any amount will have a detrimental effect on your lifespan. As I see it, we are faced with the choice of trading off a little of our longevity against the pleasure that we derive from our alcohol hit.
Personally, I have a low tolerance for alcohol -- it makes me drowsy. My brother is the same, so it would appear that our intolerance may be genetic. I have an aboriginal friend who also attributes his own intolerance to racial factors.
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"No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full."
"This is my first time in NT & north WA and it will be my last By motorhome or any other means."
Hope you stick to your word.
cheers Bilbo
Yep, I think he is being a bit precious. Although I do not agree with the policy about alcohol, adopting that kind of logic helps no one!
CheersI
Ian, stuck in Mataranka until WA border opens, what a lousy place to be stuck!
I would love to be at Mataranka for a week or two. Might drag a bit after that.
WRT availability of booze. When I go into that sort of country I supplement my daily drinker bottles with a back up CASK of Cabinet Merlo. hidden under the bed.
I must say that I was rather surprised when I first ran into the alco free thursday at Tennant Creek. Ply wood covers over the shelves & a notice from the local community.
Mind you a dry week or so probably does me good. SWMBO thinks so.
