Volume 212 - Issue 8
The impact of an alcohol floor price on critical care admissions in Central Australia
Authors: Sarah C Clifford, Kalinda E Griffiths and James A Smith
Med J Aust 2020; 212 (8): 385-385.e1. || doi: 10.5694/mja2.50543
Published online: 4 May 2020
Published online: 4 May 2020
To the Editor: We welcome the recent article by Secombe and colleagues1 highlighting the impact of alcohol policy reforms in the Northern Territory, namely the influence of the minimum floor price on critical care admissions.1 We agree that the social costs and harms of alcohol in the NT are too high,2 and are reassured by the improved health outcomes associated with the implementation of emerging alcohol policies.3,4 There have been, however, other notable alcohol and social policy investments in the NT, including the introduction of Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors (PALIs).
PALIs are uniformed inspectors, stationed at takeaway alcohol outlets, who seek to prevent the consumption of alcohol in restricted areas. These areas include all land defined as Aboriginal land as per the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act 1976,5 within 2 km of a licensed venue, and in certain regulated public and private areas. PALIs ascertain where individuals purchasing alcohol will be consuming their purchase by requesting a form of identification, alongside questions regarding intended drinking location. If a valid (non‐restricted) address cannot be provided, purchase is not permitted.
The first squad of PALIs graduated on 20 August 2018. As noted by Secombe and colleagues, the minimum floor price was introduced on 1 October 2018. Considering the time of implementation of both policies, it is imperative that we better understand the intersection between PALIs, the minimum floor price and other alcohol policy initiatives, such as the Banned Drinker Register.6 The recent analysis by Secombe et al provides a partial snapshot of the impacts of a highly complex public health issue.
Given that a suite of alcohol policies has been introduced by the NT Government to combat alcohol‐related harms,6 a more sophisticated evaluation approach is required to understand these relationships. This means a broader range of data sources need to be used to evaluate the impacts of alcohol policies in the NT. This should include health, police, corrections, domestic violence, child protection, and education data. Furthermore, to advance comprehensive understandings of these alcohol reforms, it is also imperative to include qualitative approaches that explain how and why different alcohol policies work.
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- Secombe PJ, Stewart P, Brown A, et al. The impact of an alcohol floor price on critical care admissions in Central Australia. Med J Aust 2019; https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.50404. [Epub ahead of print] https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2019/212/5/impact-alcohol-floor-price-critical-care-admissions-central-australia
- Smith J, Whetton S, d'Abbs P. The social and economic costs and harms of alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory. Darwin: Menzies School of Health Research, 2019. https://www.menzies.edu.au/icms_docs/302326_Final_Report_-_Social_and_Economic_Costs_and_Harms_of_Alcohol_Consumption_in_the_Northern_Territory.pdf (viewed Dec 2019).
- Smith JA, Livingston M, Miller P, et al. Emerging alcohol policy innovation in the Northern Territory, Australia. Health Promot J Aust 2019; 30: 3–6.
- Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education; People's Alcohol Action Coalition. Northern Territory alcohol harm‐reduction report: assessment of preliminary data on the Riley Review reforms on the anniversary of the NT Minimum Unit Price. FARE, 2019. http://fare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/NT-Alcohol-Harm-reduction-Report.pdf (viewed Dec 2019).
- Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act 1976. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00111 (viewed Feb 2020).
- Smith JA, Adamson E, Clifford S, Wallace T. Compendium report: twelve‐month evaluation of the Banned Drinker Register in the Northern Territory: Part 2 — a qualitative analysis of selected stakeholder perspectives. Darwin: Menzies School of Health Research, 2019. https://www.menzies.edu.au/icms_docs/312605_12_Month_BDR_evaluation_compendium_report_-_Part_2.pdf (viewed Dec 2019).