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• New regulations to combat the practice of sly grogging will come into effect this week.
• Limits will apply to the amount of alcohol that can be carried in a vehicle.
• Police will have the discretion to seize and dispose of alcohol on the spot.
• State Government committed to minimising alcohol-related harm in the community and protecting the vulnerable.

The regulations, which will come into effect in the Kimberley this week, aim to reduce alcohol-related harm and crack down on those who prey on the vulnerable by illegally selling large quantities of alcohol at inflated prices.

From Saturday 18 September, restrictions will apply under a new section of the Liquor Control Act, limiting the quantity and types of liquor that can be legally transported in a vehicle.

The carriage limits will reflect the liquor restrictions that are currently in place in the Kimberley under the Emergency Management Act.

They include:

• one carton of beer, cider or pre-mixed spirits; or
• three bottles of wine; or
• one litre of spirits or fortified wine; or
• a combination of two products per adult in the vehicle, per day.

Vehicles that carry more than five passengers will only be permitted to carry quantities of alcohol for five people.

WA Police will have the discretion when they stop and search a vehicle to immediately dispose of illegal alcohol.

The carriage limits will apply in the towns of Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra and Wyndham, and within 20 kilometres of those towns.

The limits will also apply within five kilometres of dry Aboriginal communities.

Anyone found to be in breach of these regulations faces a maximum fine of $10,000.

Exemptions apply to tourists, pastoralists, station owners and operators of remote work sites.

The State Government has consulted widely with liquor industry associations and public health bodies, in developing the legislative amendments.