Cable Beach venue in Western Australia's far north charged with liquor breaches

A general store and cafe in a West Australian town with strict alcohol restrictions has been charged with multiple alleged liquor breaches.

In January, the Cable Beach General Store and Cafe, a licensed restaurant in the Kimberley town of Broome, is alleged to have sold takeaway wine despite not having a takeaway liquor licence.

WA Police further allege alcohol was sold to a community member who was on the Banned Drinkers Register (BDR), a list of people prohibited from purchasing or possessing packaged liquor in a bid to reduce alcohol-related harm and ill-health.

New laws were introduced in Broome and Derby in 2024, with the sale of alcohol banned on some days and restricted on others to curb high rates of alcohol-fuelled violence.

Bottle shops in Broome can only trade between midday and 8pm with daily purchase limits in place for customers, including a choice of either two bottles of wine, a carton of beer under 6 per cent alcohol, or a single bottle of spirits.

Infringements issued

Situated near Broome's iconic Cable Beach, the Cable Beach General Store and Cafe offers mini golf, groceries and meals.

The WA Police West Kimberley district liquor engagement and support manager, Senior Sergeant David Rudd, said liquor enforcement officers were alerted to an incident while patrolling a nearby venue.

"[They observed] one of the banned drinkers known to them to be hiding alcohol under bushes outside the Cable Beach General Store and Cafe," he said.

"When they went in and confronted the staff member about it, they basically admitted they sold it to him.

"Inquiries revealed he purchased the two bottles of wine from the Cable Beach General Store and Cafe for $55."

Senior Sergeant Rudd said staff inside were spoken to and subsequently received infringements for selling the alcohol.

Meanwhile, he says the company that operated the venue has been charged by summons for alleged breaches of the liquor control act and liquor control regulations act, including breaching licence conditions, having no approved manager on duty, the training register not being up to date, and no signage at the front of the premises.

According to ASIC records, the Cable Beach General Store and Cafe business name was cancelled on March 13.

Reducing alcohol-related harm

The investigation against the venue was part of a series of liquor enforcement operations across the Kimberley in January.

Senior Sergeant Rudd said alcohol was a problem in the Kimberley, and it was important that police stamped out liquor breaches to protect community members.

"The difficulty in the Kimberley is that alcohol is a problem, and there are lots of other social factors as to why that's the case," he said.

"We want to remind everybody we appreciate Broome's a great town, everyone likes to enjoy it, have themselves a beer, relax and have a good time.

"However, we also have a lot of vulnerable people."

Kimberley police have targeted people breaching alcohol restrictions, including "sly grogging", in recent years.

Senior Sergeant Rudd said police would continue to enforce the law around alcohol.

"The message is, if you are going to relax your own obligations and not follow the conditions of your licence or be involved in sly grogging, we're going to come down hard on you," he said.

He said the company that operated Cable Beach General Store and Cafe was due to appear in court in May.