Greens member of NSW Parliament John Kaye visits the BDN office on Friday to discuss the potential negative impact of the Woolworths development.
GREENS politician John Kaye has thrown his weight behind a campaign to reject the proposed development of a Woolworths in Bermagui.
Mr Kaye, the Greens member of NSW Parliament, visited the BDN office on Friday to discuss the potential negative impact of the development.
As reported in the BDN last week, several hundred people packed into the Bermagui Community Centre on Wednesday for the town’s public forum.
There was a minority present who spoke in favour of Woolworths, while others expressed their belief the supermarket will “threaten village life in Bermagui”.
Mr Kaye said the forum raised some interesting issues against the development, but one key factor had been overlooked.
He said as part of the Woolworths development application, a liquor outlet would also be constructed.
According to Mr Kaye, that would mean the town would then boast four alcohol shops.
“The issue we are looking at is the impact of another bottle shop in Bermagui,” he said.
“I believe there is already three, so that would be a 30 per cent increase in packaged liquor outlets.
“Any outside observer would not allow another liquor outlet.”
Mr Kaye said the more places there are available to sell alcohol, the greater the density for more domestic violence (DV) caused.
“This means it’s more competitive on price and the cheaper the alcohol, the greater damage it does.
“It’s an oversupplied market, which triggers concern.”
Mr Kaye said there had been a huge increase in DV in the Bega Valley in recent years.
Between 2007/11, he said DV was up by 21 per cent in the local area.
“Australia is battling a surge in domestic violence, and Bega Valley is a standout,” he said.
“When you look at the other major councils on the coast – Tweed, Belligen, Eurobodalla and Shellharbour – there has been no increase in alcohol-related violence.
“Don’t get me wrong – this is not about denying a beer or wine on a Friday night.
“This is how do you protect women, children and men in their homes from alcohol-inflicted violence.”
Mr Kaye said he would be working to block Woolworths’ request for a Liquor and Gaming Individual Licence, allowing them to sell alcohol.
He said the issue of alcohol-related violence was now being taken more seriously.
“In NSW, we have seen three-in-a-row licences rejected in Byron Bay, Taree and Hutton,” Mr Kaye said.
“Through the Bega Valley Shire Council, we will be lodging our objection to this {Woolworths’ Bermagui] licence application,” he said.
Mr Kaye said last Wednesday’s forum raised a number of key discussion points, including “height, the heritage, a dodgy [application] process and scenic values".
“The community is horrified by the physical appearance and the [potential] devastation of the local economy.”
