Council to decide AFZs at upcoming meeting

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Alcohol Free Zones Review. The feedback we received has helped inform a report that is going to Council on Monday 12 September 2022.

The report seeks Council endorsement to re-establish Alcohol Free Zones (AFZs) across seven locations and establish AFZ exemptions in key event locations.

It is proposed:

• Corrimal, Berkeley and Warrawong AFZs are re-established without change for four years.
• Dapto, Thirroul, Helensburgh and Wollongong AFZs are re-established for four years with a reduced footprint. The reduced footprint responds to Ministerial Guidelines which require AFZs to:
  • Be as small as is possible.
  • Only extend to areas that irresponsible behaviour from the consumption of alcohol is occurring.
  • Be within close proximity to outlets supplying alcohol.
• Continue AFZ exemptions to enable and welcome major events in Upper Crown Street Mall (including Crown Lane), Lower Crown Street Mall, Arts Precinct, Globe Lane and Wollongong Foreshore.
• Council delegates authority to the General Manager to suspend AFZs in other areas to a maximum of two events per year, if required.

You can read the report in full in the meeting’s Business Paper published on Council’s website. The Agenda for the Council meeting is also available.

If you're interested in seeing Council's decision-making processes in action, you can watch the meeting online from 6pm via webcast.

Councillors will decide whether to adopt the report’s recommendation at the meeting on Monday.