Mr McCARTHY - 2008-09-11
Can the minister inform the House on recent developments with the evaluation of alcohol reforms in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I believe this government has been very active in the whole issue of alcohol reform and trying to address alcohol issues across the Territory. We have taken a philosophy that one size does not fit all, and have taken a different approach in different areas.
There has been much debate about the dry town in Alice Springs, and I know there are people who oppose it, or do not believe that it is working. That is why I have commissioned an independent review of the dry town. I made an announcement a week or 10 days ago that the Menzies School of Health Research will be carrying out that independent review. It is important for the residents of Alice Springs and government to see, through this independent review, exactly what has worked and what has not.
There are some pleasing early signs. Quarterly figures for the period to 31 March 2008 indicate the volume of pure alcohol purchased in Alice Springs was at its lowest level for five years. That is certainly a very promising statistic, because I am of the belief that the higher the alcohol consumption, the more likely there is to be harm.
Even though it is early days, reports from Tennant Creek suggest a dramatic fall in sobering-up shelter numbers following the commencement of dry town restrictions there that was instituted by the Liquor Commission. Stewart Naylor, CEO of the Barkly Region Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Group, BRADAAG, has reported a significant drop in the number of presentations at the shelter. The past month has seen 164 people through the sobering-up shelter, compared to 304 last year. That is a pleasing statistic.
The Menzies School of Health Research is evaluating Alice Springs, and also having another look at Thirsty Thursday, as it was called, in Tennant Creek. Thirsty Thursday was used in Tennant Creek up to the 2000s and I have heard differing opinions from people who were exposed to it about whether it worked. Many people I spoke to believe it did not work; it just displaced the problem, both in terms of the location and the timing of the problem, but there are some people who believe that it did work. The Menzies School is tasked with reviewing that and drawing that evidence together and, I believe, reinterviewing some of the people who were involved.
This is a government that is determined to tackle alcohol abuse and alcohol-related crime head on.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I believe this government has been very active in the whole issue of alcohol reform and trying to address alcohol issues across the Territory. We have taken a philosophy that one size does not fit all, and have taken a different approach in different areas.
There has been much debate about the dry town in Alice Springs, and I know there are people who oppose it, or do not believe that it is working. That is why I have commissioned an independent review of the dry town. I made an announcement a week or 10 days ago that the Menzies School of Health Research will be carrying out that independent review. It is important for the residents of Alice Springs and government to see, through this independent review, exactly what has worked and what has not.
There are some pleasing early signs. Quarterly figures for the period to 31 March 2008 indicate the volume of pure alcohol purchased in Alice Springs was at its lowest level for five years. That is certainly a very promising statistic, because I am of the belief that the higher the alcohol consumption, the more likely there is to be harm.
Even though it is early days, reports from Tennant Creek suggest a dramatic fall in sobering-up shelter numbers following the commencement of dry town restrictions there that was instituted by the Liquor Commission. Stewart Naylor, CEO of the Barkly Region Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Group, BRADAAG, has reported a significant drop in the number of presentations at the shelter. The past month has seen 164 people through the sobering-up shelter, compared to 304 last year. That is a pleasing statistic.
The Menzies School of Health Research is evaluating Alice Springs, and also having another look at Thirsty Thursday, as it was called, in Tennant Creek. Thirsty Thursday was used in Tennant Creek up to the 2000s and I have heard differing opinions from people who were exposed to it about whether it worked. Many people I spoke to believe it did not work; it just displaced the problem, both in terms of the location and the timing of the problem, but there are some people who believe that it did work. The Menzies School is tasked with reviewing that and drawing that evidence together and, I believe, reinterviewing some of the people who were involved.
This is a government that is determined to tackle alcohol abuse and alcohol-related crime head on.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016