The NT Government has introduced changes to the Banned Drinker Register (BDR) which will come into effect today.

New changes implemented through the Alcohol Harm Reduction Act 2017 means Police will now have more powers to place people on the BDR, by providing them with a Banned Drinker Order (BDO) through enhanced police-based pathways. The changes will also make it compulsory for Police to issue a BDO if the person meets the BDO conditions.

The changes will introduce a 7 Day Police BDO which will be issued if the person is, on a single occasion:

• taken into alcohol-related protective custody
• issued with an alcohol-related infringement notice
• issued with a banning notice under section 212 of the Liquor Act 2019
• found to have contravened section 171(1) of the Liquor Act 2019 (i.e. consumed alcohol in prohibited public places).

Other changes include:

• after 2 occasions of a 7 day ban, the next occurrence of a trigger will result in the standard 3 month BDO
• police will now also have the power to request the ID of any public drinkers. This strengthens the police pathway for the implementation of the BDOs, during which treatment options will be made available
• increasing the maximum penalty of secondary supply from 20 to 100 penalty units.

The changes will result in an increase in the number of people with harmful drinking practices being placed on the BDR.

For more information and details, go to the Northern Territory Government website.