Cheap wine undermines positive steps to tackle alcohol violence in Alice Springs

STRONG evidence exists that alcohol restrictions have contributed to a reduction in severe intoxication and violence in Alice Springs.

There is less severe intoxication and violence in the town than was occurring five years ago, as evidenced by the reduction in hospital admissions for stabbings, serious harm and the combined homicide and manslaughter rate.

Homicides, which had been running at around 10 a year, dropped down to three or fewer per annum. (This figure may have risen slightly again due to an increase in alcohol consumption in the last 12 months.)

The decline in severe violence is attributable to the reduction in alcohol consumption that has occurred following the advent of price-based alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs.

Their introduction in October 2006, well prior to the intervention, saw an 18 per cent (at peak) decline in alcohol consumption and associated harms.

In the past 18 months, however, these gains have been undermined by the sale of cheap takeaway wine by some outlets. This includes cleanskins - sometimes discounted to as little as $2 a bottle - and the increasing sales of very cheap two- litre casks that are still available at the rate of one per person per day after 6pm. These contain about 22 standard drinks at about 50c a drink.

It is ludicrous to suggest that a small amount of after-hours sly grog sales is the major problem when such cheap alcohol is still so freely available up until 9pm at numerous take-away outlets.

The increasing availability of cheap wine and the increasing capacity of heavy drinkers to wait until 6pm for the cheap casks has led to a large growth in cheap wine consumption in the past 18 months and a corresponding increase in harm. While this should not have been allowed to happen, alcohol consumption is nevertheless around 12 per cent lower than it was before the restrictions.

The effectiveness of the price-based restrictions mechanism is currently being systematically examined in a major independent evaluation by the National Drug Research Institute funded by the federal Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin.

This legally available very cheap wine is the main source of the cask wine bladders that have been described as littering the lawns of the Royal Flying Doctor base in Alice Springs CBD.

A significant amount of such harm could be prevented if a floor price on alcohol were introduced, based on the average price per standard drink of beer. This needs to happen now. If it does, the heavy drinkers will primarily shift from cheap wine to beer again and more assaults, homicides and other crimes are likely to be averted.

Another policy that has been shown to work (confirmed in a recent evaluation from the Menzies School of Health Research) is a weekly takeaway alcohol-free day tied to Centrelink payments. In spite of the evidence, this is still to be implemented and faces significant opposition from key industry groups in the town. Again, this is a policy that PAAC has advocated for many years by, and will prevent much harm if introduced.

Further, the NT will soon implement the most radical reform of alcohol laws that has ever been tried in Australia, and perhaps in the world.

The centrepiece of this reform is the decision by the Northern Territory government (in its 'Enough is enough' alcohol reforms) to make access to alcohol in the NT a privilege that can be exercised only by the presentation of photo ID (usually a driver's licence or specially certified card) .

The privilege will be removed if it is abused. This will create consequences for people whose drinking is out of control across the entire population.

In addition to alcohol-banning orders, people who abuse alcohol and neglect their kids or who are violent towards others could find their welfare payments quarantined possibly up to 100 per cent by an Alcohol and Other Drugs Tribunal.

The way in which inadequate early childhood environments affect the development of young people who then become impulsive, unable to concentrate and lack self-discipline and control is now well understood. Young people with these character traits are much more likely to become addicted to substances.

This can be significantly prevented through a range of programs, some of which have been very recently put in place in Alice. But much more needs to be done in this area. Evidence suggests that such programs could reduce, by about half, the current population of young people addicted to alcohol and other drugs. .

We must act now on this and stop promoting "alcohol education" in schools as the only answer. Early childhood education and support is a key part of the answer, coupled with social consequences for parents who are neglecting their children in early childhood.

We cannot afford to wait for these kids to grow to be street kids in early adolescence before we act. This is too late for many of them, and youth interventions at this late stage, while necessary, are far more costly and less effective.

John Boffa is spokesman for the People's Alcohol Action Coalition in Alice Springs