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The Western Australian Government is introducing legislation that will ban violent offenders and perpetrators of antisocial behaviour from popular entertainment precincts.

Protected Entertainment Precincts will be established in Northbridge-Perth, Fremantle, Scarborough, Hillarys and Mandurah.

Protected Entertainment Precincts (PEP) are named in honour of Giuseppe 'Pep' Raco, the victim of an unprovoked one-punch attack in Northbridge in July 2020.

The Western Australian Government started developing the Bill following a popular campaign from the Raco family to strengthen laws around violent offences in entertainment precincts.

Mandatory exclusion from the PEPs will apply to anyone convicted of various violent and sexual offences within the precincts, such as murder, sexual penetration without consent and unlawful assault causing death, along with drink spiking offences, for a period of five years after they are released from prison. Breaches of this exclusion face a penalty of up to five years imprisonment and a $12,000 fine.

The new laws aim to protect people going out for a good time, creating safer precincts for everyone, and conversely take a tough, no-tolerance approach to those who do the wrong thing.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan notes "everyone deserves to be able to enjoy a night out free from harm or threatening behaviour, and workers in entertainment precincts should also be able to safely go about their business.

"I thank Enza and the Raco family for their commitment to campaigning to strengthen our laws and for working with us as we strive to achieve these significant reforms."

Exclusion orders can apply when:

• A person behaves in an unlawful, antisocial, disorderly, offensive, indecent and threatening way in a precinct; and
• The person being in the precinct could cause violence or public disorder or impact the safety of others.

Western Australian Police Minister Paul Papalia advised "we already have more police in our entertainment precincts than ever before. We have a new Commissioner who is delivering on his visible policing plan, flooding those areas with a sea of blue. 

"This new law provides our officers with another tool to continue the crack down on anti-social behaviour."

Western Australian Police Commissioner Col Blanch said existing 24-hour move-on notices were not a strong enough deterrent for some offenders.

Noting that exclusion order decisions would be made using body-worn camera footage, CCTV and reports from the officer on the ground, Commissioner Blanch stated "it’s a collective that makes a decision with the advice from the officer on the ground as to whether or not an exclusion order is appropriate."

Exemptions to exclusion from the precincts will apply for work, residential, education, health and other approved purposes.

Consultation will begin with stakeholders to refine the precinct boundaries ahead of the Liquor Control Amendment (Protected Entertainment Precincts) Bill 2022 being introduced to Parliament next month.

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