Sydney suburbs with the most alcohol-related hospitalisations, deaths
Some of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs have the highest rates of alcohol-related hospitalisations while some ethnically based communities in Sydney’s southwest have the least, shock new figures reveal. SEE THE TOP SUBURBS
NSW
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Some of Sydney’s richest suburbs also have some of the riskiest drinkers.
Hunters Hill, Waverley and Inner West council areas have the highest rates of alcohol-related hospitalisations in the city.
The Northern Beaches and Lane Cove councils round out the top five — and are some of the most affluent parts of the country.
Meanwhile, ethnically based communities in Sydney’s southwest, such as Georges River and Canterbury-Bankstown council areas, have some of the lowest rates of alcohol-related hospitalisations in the city.
The fresh data is contained in the state government’s new online tool LiveData, which gives the community access to up-to-date alcohol, crime and health data that can help inform decisions about development applications for new liquor licences.
While it may be bad news for pub barons looking to gain a foothold in particular areas, Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello says data “will improve transparency around liquor licence applications and empower communities to respond to local challenges”.
“This interactive tool gives stakeholders a bird’s-eye view of liquor licences so they can make more informed decisions,” Mr Dominello said.
“This will make it simpler and quicker for residents and other stakeholders to understand local alcohol-related trends.”
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Mr Dominello said the tool had the same data that the NSW independent Liquor and Gaming Authority considered when it assessed applications for new liquor licences.
When it comes to actual deaths from alcohol, the Central Coast, Blacktown and Wollondilly council areas have the highest death rates.
When it comes to alcohol-related domestic violence, Woolloomooloo, St Marys and suburbs on the Central Coast are the worst.
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre director Professor Michael Farrell said that when it came to alcohol “generally speaking the communities with the highest disposable income will have the highest mean consumption”.
“But binge drinking can significantly affect hospitalisations and may have many other variables associated with the neighbourhood,” he said.
“The data site is a welcome development. It would be nice if this was backed by giving researchers access to NSW alcohol sales data.”
One in five Sydney suburbs don’t have a pub or club and 52 Sydney suburbs don’t have a liquor licence (bottle shop or restaurant) of any kind, analysis of Liquor and Gaming NSW figures reveal.