The region’s domestic violence statistics are alarming.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Two towns in the Riverina have been named among the worst in the state and Wagga’s numbers seem to be on the rise with many more incidents going unreported.
So it’s encouraging that the NSW government is strategising about the best way to prevent this behaviour.
But is putting a restriction on liquor licenses in perceived domestic violence ‘hot spots’ the solution?
What constitutes as a hot spot is a fluid notion, changing as offenders change their place of residence.
And who’s to say that these people are drinking at licensed establishments before they offend?
It seems more likely that incidents that occur at home are coming after a night drinking or on drugs but perhaps not after they have been on the town.
What about restrictions on selling alcohol to take away alcohol to prohibit those drinking at home from offending?
There are many factors that contribute to domestic violence, and as one Wagga publican pointed out, drugs is a major one.
Restricting the hours a pub is open or how they trade will not restrict how people consume alcohol or drugs, just where they do it.
The cold hard facts on alcohol use and domestic violence incidents are staggered so it’s hard to make that correlation between the two.
And all of this is forgetting those who offend while sober, without a drop of alcohol or drugs in their system.
How does changing licensing laws solve that problem?
Pouring money and resources into a solution that many have already deemed ineffective seems futile.
So the question remains, where should the money be spent?
And what is the solution?
When the cause of the problem is still relatively unknown it’s hard to devise a solution for it.
Anything is really worth a go.
But it might be as simple as managing offenders on a case-by-case basis or police and courts committing to instilling harsher penalties on offenders to act as a deterrent.
It is also about assisting and educating victims, ensuring they feel they are able to leave the home, that they have somewhere safe to go to.