As reported earlier this week, Brisbane authorities are keen to extend their Drink Safe Precincts – including the popular live music hub of Fortitude Valley – but in order to do so, music venues could be footing the bill for the cost of policing the late-night districts and ensuring safety in areas that have been stricken by alcohol-related crime and violence.
Further south in Victoria, Melbourne’s inner-city pubs and clubs could be faced with similar levies and taxes to help pay for new safety measures in the wake of the abduction of Jill Meagher.
As News Ltd reports, councils are looking to improve the safety outside late-night venues and entertainment districts by employing safety marshals at busy taxi ranks, concerns following the Jill Meagher tragedy, where the ABC employee was walking home alone after a night out in Brunswick before she was abducted and murdered.
Local council are considering options to help fund the expensive costs of employing late-night security officers, including rate hikes to local entertainment venues, in discussions between City of Yarra and residents, businesses, and transport bodies next year.
Yarra Mayor Cr Jackie Fristacky said getting venues to foot the bill for security in areas such as Fitzroy’s Brunswick St and Collingwood’s Smith St was a viable option. “The council’s report will look at this and see if it’s feasible or worth it,” she said. “One expects that sort of policing is a State Government responsibility.” “It’s not up to licensees to fund essential services provided by local councils,” – Paddy O’Sullivan, AHA
Paddy O’Sullivan, spokesman for the Australian Hotels Association, said the industry did not support council proposals of inventing taxes to fund cab ranks and employ safety marshals. “It’s not up to licensees to fund essential services provided by local councils,” said Mr O’Sullivan.
There are also concerns that any safety upgrades rolled out should be done professionally, “we don’t want to have little old ladies volunteering to run the taxi ranks with guys pouring out of clubs at 2am – it’s chaos,” said Yarra Socialist councillor Stephen Jolly of the new security proposal.
Entertainment venues could also be helping fund the cost of new taxi ranks in their proximity, as a report on late-night safety by the City of Yarra has resulted in several upgrades across the council’s jurisdiction, including Moreland, the suburb where Jill Meagher was walking home alone to when tragedy struck.
Moreland officials are asking for a $105,000 grant from the Victorian Taxi Directorate’s Taxi Rank Safety program to install three ranks near pubs and clubs in Brunswick. The new taxi proposal would see extra transport operate from 10pm on weekends until 7am, similar to those already launched in Melbourne’s inner-south in October as part of initial boost to provide late-night transport earlier in the year.
Steve Bright of the Victoria Taxi Directorate (VTD) says however that councils were responsible for installing and operating taxi ranks. “The VTD is in favour of any initiatives that increase passenger safety and allow people to get to their taxi faster or more efficiently, including the use of taxi rank marshals or security staff,” said Mr Bright.
