Bondi Junction’s antisocial woes get worse

Locals behind a grassroots campaign say alcohol-fuelled antisocial behaviour and violence is getting worse in Bondi Junction.

The group, dubbed “SpeakOut” when they started distributing flyers this year, have been cooperating with Waverley Council since the issue hit headlines in March.

One specific incident at the Tea Gardens Hotel – in which about 40 police swarmed ejected patrons who had begun fighting security staff – prompted the Eastern Suburbs Liquor Accord (ESLA) to hold its first open meeting with concerned residents.

But SpeakOut representative Frank Cahill said residents were not confident that the Accord was solving the problem.

“There is a perception it’s getting worse,” he said.

ESLA president Adam Purcell responded to this concern at the community meeting last week by emphasising that changes will be made to the Accord.

One identified problem was the continuation of a contentious Party Bus that gives lifts to patrons of another Bondi Junction trouble-spot, the Grand Hotel (Cock’n Bull).

Closing times are also central to the debate, with SpeakOut demanding a blanket midnight closure on all Bondi Junction establishments.

Just last month a Tea Gardens Hotel application for extended trading hours until 3am from Monday to Friday was unanimously rejected at a Waverley Council meeting.

Mayor Sally Betts said the council was taking the complaints “very seriously” and cited proactive change as evidence of this.

“Although assaults inside hotels have decreased dramatically, there is still trouble on the streets, particularly when patrons have been evicted or not allowed into premises,” she said.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has long identified Bondi Junction as a hot spot for alcohol-related violence in the state, along with neighbouring Bondi Beach.

“Alcohol-related antisocial behavior in Bondi Junction is greater as there are more hotels in close proximity to residential areas,” Councillor Betts said.

But SpeakOut representatives claim that complaints have not been effectively managed.

One recent incident had the council originally lodging more than 70 complaints as one, claiming they came from one person when a resident was actually lodging complaints on behalf of others.

The last complaint at time of print was lodged on June 1 when there was reported to be “horrendous” noise coming from Hollywood Avenue and Oxford Street at around 2.30am.

“People complaining are not wowsers or against people drinking alcohol in an appropriate manner,” said Cahill. “But people want to feel safe walking the streets of Bondi Junction.”

The Liquor Accord is meeting in the next few weeks to confirm the first of their solutions for residents.

Likely recommendations are that pubs increase their cleaning regimes and security presence beyond their hotels to the surrounding residential streets to monitor noise and antisocial behavior.

– By Emilia Terzon