Not The Bee has posted this commentary with a screenshot of some kind of an official WA authorities account claiming that dancing at private parties is not permitted:
I tried to verify if this is the case and I found this info page, where the following information is listed:
Certain high-risk music events are not permitted as dancing is banned
Dancing is not permitted except at weddings.
It's not clear but it could be interpreted that it is also forbidden at private parties. Is it?
Indeed, there is a state-government ban on dancing under certain conditions in Western Australia covering the 2021/2022 new year. The relevant legislation states:
These directions come into effect at 6.00am on Tuesday 28 December 2021 and continue in effect until 6.00am on Tuesday 4 January 2022.
Prohibition on music events and dancing ...
- A person must not engage in dancing at premises in the affected area other than: (a) if it occurs at a wedding; or (b) at a home where the participants are all members of the same household.
- A person who owns, controls or operates premises in the affected area must not allow a person to engage in dancing at those premises other than where it occurs in the circumstances set out in paragraphs 8(a) and 8(b).
And here is a press release:
Following four days of public health and social measures and nine local COVID-19 cases in addition to case 1133 detected so far, linked to the Perth Mess Hall outbreak, the acting Chief Health Officer has advised Perth and Peel will need to continue public health and social measures to keep WA safe.
The following public health and social measures will continue from 6am Tuesday morning, December 28 until 6am Tuesday morning, January 4 (pending the latest health advice):
- Music festivals and large high-risk events remain cancelled, dancing (except for weddings) is banned and nightclubs remained closed; and ...
Public health and social measures to continue until January 4, Government of Western Australia, media statement, 27 December 2021.
Similar claims can be found on other WA government webpages here ("dancing (except for weddings) is banned"), here ("Dancing is not permitted except at weddings."), and here ("Dancing is not permitted except at weddings.").
The Facebook comments are real and can be seen here. Here's my screenshot:
Facebook screenshot taken January 1, 2022 (click to enlarge).
In the same thread, the WA Government Facebook account also makes some "clarifying" comments:
Facebook screenshot taken January 1, 2022 (click to enlarge).
It appears that dancing is indeed banned in that area but it is a general ban instead of something targeted at New Years events.
https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus/covid-19-coronavirus-what-you-can-and-cant-do
Certain high-risk music events are not permitted as dancing is banned and seated food and beverage consumption requirements are in place as part of public health and social measures.
Any gathering of more than 500 patrons (whether in public of private) that involves the playing of recorded music or live performances involving singing or dancing for the purposes of entertainment is not permitted. In addition, certain specific music events are not permitted.
Carols by candlelight events are permitted.
Nightclubs will also be closed.
Dancing is not permitted except at weddings.
Dancing is banned (except for weddings), nightclubs are due to remain closed, and Australians are asked to remain outdoors when it is not possible to keep a physical distance. Private parties are however permitted, albeit without dancing.
Rebecca J. Stones’ answer has the facts and the sources. As someone in Western Australia, I think I can add the context.
Western Australia has been highly successful at keeping out COVID-19. The state has had 1 168 cases (9 deaths) total since the pandemic began, out of 430 523 cases (2 253 deaths) nationally.[1] That’s just 44 cases per 100 000, against a national rate of 1 672 per 100 000.[2]
The state government has used strong measures over the course of the pandemic, including limits on gatherings such as number of visitors, mask requirements, and yes, permitted activities like dancing.[3] The state’s success in keeping out the pandemic has been credited in large part to these measures,[4] which have also been highly popular with the public (the current government was re-elected in March 2021 in a landslide[5]). Restrictions have been short-term, and overall residents have been under far fewer limits than those in the rest of the country.[6]
On 19 December, an interstate traveller attended parties and nightclubs while infectious, beginning a new outbreak.[7] As a result, 30 new cases have emerged in three weeks, the biggest spike in months.[1] Restrictions were reintroduced on 23 December, and extended on 28 December.[8] The current end date is 4 January, although they may be extended again.
So much for the fully cited facts. Anecdotally, I can tell you that yes, the current restrictions are a bit weird and something of a joke… because they’re so selective. Why are they not requiring masks, or just banning gatherings full-stop? I can but speculate that it’s actually because of the holiday period: banning parties would be highly unpopular, so they tried to put in whatever measures they thought they could get people to accept, and ended up with this weird hodgepodge.
In that sense, yes, the measures could be said to be targeting Christmas/New Year’s gatherings, but in a “this is a period with a lot of social contact” way, not a “let’s ruin everyone’s fun like that town in Footloose” way.
1: Department of Health (WA), as at 3 Jan 2022.
2: Based on state and national populations from Australian Bureau of Statistics, as at 30 Jun 2021. Quick back-of-the-envelope calculations tell me that attempting to adjust to up-to-date figures would only make a difference in the last digit, at worst.
3: Wikipedia, COVID-19 pandemic in Western Australia. Yeah, I’m citing Wikipedia; I haven’t found a better timeline of what restrictions have been put in place and when—short of trawling back through the government’s announcements. But here’s an example of restrictions from Feb 2021.
4: e.g. WAtoday (27 Aug 2020).
6: From the last restrictions lifting in July up until the current ones in December, there were essentially no limits on most activities, gatherings, or in-state travel. (“Most”: some large public events were starting to have proof-of-vaccination requirements, and some remote communities considered vulnerable can’t be visited.)
7: ABC News (23 Dec 2021)
