Townsville businesses speak on public drunkenness as Queensland government looks to re-criminalise it
Queensland became the final state in Australia to decriminalise public drunkenness, more than 30 years after it was first recommended by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Premier David Crisafulli this week held a forum in the largest city in north Queensland — Townsville — a city he once described as crime ground-zero to listen to community concerns.
A walk down Townsville's main street paints a nuanced picture, with views mixed among business operators and community leaders on how best to make the CBD safer and more attractive to visitors.
It's a quiet weekday afternoon when foot traffic should be busy.
Shop owner Lucy Downes said she now worked seven days a week because it was harder to find staff wanting to work in the CBD.
"It is not a family-friendly environment when you have people brawling and yelling," Ms Downes said.
"Especially when there's substance abuse involved. That can be intimidating and scary for staff to witness."
Ms Downes backed the state government's move to possibly re-criminalise public drunkenness, but said harsh punishment was not the solution to substance abuse.
"It is a very complicated problem … it's good to look towards the bigger picture," she said.
When public drunkenness was decriminalised last year, it brought Queensland into line with every other state and territory.
The legislative change allowed for an intoxicated person to be taken to a place of safety.
But, walking into a meeting with community and business leaders, Mr Crisafulli said it was a retrograde step.
"We certainly won't be ruling [re-criminalising] out."
Queensland Police statistics show that while the total number of crimes in Townsville has risen steadily over the past 10 years, good order offences, including public nuisance offences, have dropped.
Business owners stressed the CBD was still a good place to visit and that police had been working hard recently to keep order.
Pauline Jackson said she felt safe at the newsagency she had run on Townsville's Flinders Street for 18 years.
Ms Jackson said criminalising public drunkenness would discourage people from poor behaviour.
She said more consistent policing was needed.
"As soon as you drop it off, antisocial behaviour comes back," she said.
"It does keep people away."
Marg Cox is often greeted by the smell of urine on her morning walk to her job as the operator of a sandwich shop on Flinders Street.
Ms Cox said practical solutions were the best approach.
"They need more public toilets in the city; the closest toilet is over the bridge, not in the area," Ms Cox said.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service principal legal officer Greg Shadbolt warned any move to bring back public intoxication laws would target the state's most marginalised people.
The service said 2020–2021 statistics demonstrated Queensland Police were 11 times more likely to pursue public order offences against Indigenous people compared to the rest of the population.
"If the park is your home and you're not doing anything wrong, other than just drinking, you could potentially be arrested," he said.
"If anyone does make a nuisance of themselves in the public arena, police can still arrest them for a whole plethora of charges."
Birrigubba elder and academic Gracelyn Smallwood said outlawing public drunkenness would be a backward step, risking more Aboriginal deaths in custody.
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Professor Smallwood said.
Professor Smallwood said alcohol abuse should never be dealt with by locking people up.
"All the organisations, Indigenous and non-Indigenous that are receiving money for drunkenness and homelessness should all be collaborating," she said.
Additional consultation sessions are being planned for Townsville, Maryborough, Cairns and Mackay.
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