The Whyalla City Council will endorse a city-wide dry zone, following majority public support for the proposal.
During an extensive consultation period, Council received almost 2,500 responses, with nearly two out of three respondents (64.7%) opting in favour of the proposal.
Mayor Phill Stone said the decision was not made lightly due to the significant change it will represent but the sheer number of responses to the survey enabled council to “make a measured decision that represented the views presented by residents.”
The Council acknowledged that there was no ‘silver bullet’ to fix alcohol-related anti-social behaviour, adding it would take a focused, multi-agency response to tackle the cause of the ongoing issues to achieve real improvements.
An application is now being prepared for the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, although it will take a few months before the dry zone is officially implemented.
This consultation period marks the biggest response Council has had to a survey in the past five years.
