Cape community keen for tavern plan to break 10yr dry spell

A Cape York community in far north Queensland wants to set up a tavern after having been banned from drinking alcohol for 10 years.

Napranum has been under a total alcohol ban since 2003 but the Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council says a survey of residents has found strong support to move off alcohol management plans.

CEO Amos Mjaramba says the community wants to apply for a six-month liquor licence to trial serving drinks at a local clubhouse for a few hours each evening.

He says there will be safeguards.

"A guideline on how we can bring back alcohol and ensure there are controls," he said.

"Things like just allowing light beers, restricting hours of operation, we'd only have beer in the clubhouse and not in their homes, so there'll be no takeaway.

"That way we are able to control what's happening.

"It's not [going to be a] free-for-all, going back to where people used to drink excessively and all that.

"People drive or walk to Weipa, so one of our biggest problems is having drink-driving charges.

"There is a large number of pending cases with people caught drink-driving because they need to have a beer."

Source: ABC News, 3 July 2013