Leading Tasmanian health experts, community organisations and lived experience advocates met at a forum in Hobart today (30 July) to share their concerns about alcohol-related harms across the state, including the link between alcohol and domestic, family and sexual violence and the heavy impact of alcohol on healthcare services.
The Community Action on Alcohol Harms Forum considered opportunities to improve health, safety and wellbeing across Tasmania, including through the critically important Tasmanian Government’s review of the Liquor Licensing Act.
The coalition of health and community organisation is urging the government to ensure that the Liquor Licensing Act Review better protects the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians, with harm minimisation as a priority, including the introduction of common-sense regulations around the online sale and delivery of alcohol.
“Alcohol is more accessible than ever, especially now that it can be rapidly delivered into homes with just a click of a button,” said Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s CEO Dr Erin Lalor, AM.
“The online sale and delivery of alcohol increases the availability of alcohol. We know many people use these services to extend drinking sessions, and they would have stopped drinking if alcohol delivery wasn’t available.
“Increases in the availability of alcohol is associated with increased risks of alcohol-related harm, including self-harm and domestic and family violence.”
Bree Klerck, the CEO of The Tasmanian Family and Sexual Violence Alliance, said although alcohol did not cause violence, there was clear evidence linking alcohol to increased severity of violence.
“This includes increasing the risk, frequency and severity of harm caused by domestic and family violence,” she said.
“Concerningly, data shows increasing domestic and family violence incidents in Tasmania.
“Nearly half (43 per cent) of women in Tasmania have experienced violence since the age of 15.”
The coalition of health and community organisations believes alcohol-related harms, including violence can be significantly reduced through sensible reform to restrict alcohol delivery after 10pm, introduce a two-hour safety pause between purchase and delivery (in Tasmania alcohol can be delivered in under 30 minutes encouraging impulse purchases), Responsible Service of Alcohol training for delivery personnel and clear and enforceable responsibility on licensees and platforms to prevent the sale and delivery of alcohol to minors and intoxicated people.
Other considerations being called for as part of the review include addressing ultra-cheap alcohol, which significantly contributes to alcohol-related harm, and ensuring reforms do not increase alcohol availability by expanding alcohol sales into additional retail business types or settings.
Ultra-cheap alcohol is disproportionately consumed by people who drink at high-risk levels, yet it can be purchased for as little as 40 cents per standard drink.
The coalition has identified a number of concerning alcohol-related trends in Tasmania that should be considered as part of the review, including:
- Tasmanians have the second highest levels of risky drinking in the country, with around a third (33 per cent) drinking at levels that put their health at risk of harms.
- About one quarter of Tasmanians (23 per cent) have experienced harm from someone else’s drinking in the past 12 months.
- Alcohol intoxication ambulance calls outs have been rising in Tasmania. Our state is the only Australian jurisdiction where alcohol-intoxication ambulance attendance rates are highest among 15–24-year-olds.
- Alcohol is a Class 1 carcinogen, linked to at least seven types of cancer. Tasmania has the second highest age-standardised rate of death from all cancers in Australia.
Dr Meg Creely, President of the Australian Medical Association’s Tasmania branch, said the community should not accept the high levels of harm that alcohol caused to individuals and families, nor the pressure it placed on the state’s health system.
“If our government is serious about reducing the pressure off our health system and improving access to services, it needs to get serious about preventing and reducing alcohol-related harms,” she said.
“The coalition commends the Tasmanian Government’s 20-year Preventive Health Strategy which commits to preventing and reducing alcohol and drug-related harm.
“The Liquor Licensing Act review provides government with one of the most significant opportunities to increase the impact of the Strategy by implementing evidence-based, cost-effective regulatory measures to prevent and reduce harm.”
Dr Creely said alcohol-related presentations in emergency departments frequently involved violence and aggression towards healthcare workers, highlighting the impact of alcohol-related harm on frontline staff safety.
“Healthcare professionals see not only the immediate impacts of alcohol misuse, but also the longer-term consequences, including liver disease, alcohol-related family violence, and some cancers,” she said.
“These impacts extend beyond public health statistics and affect patients, families, communities, and health workers across Tasmania.
“While the acute effects of alcohol are often visible, community awareness of the link between alcohol and chronic disease including several cancers remains limited.”
Media Contact:
Nicolas Turner – mobile 0418 538 865 or nicolas.turner@corcomms.com.au
Available for Interview:
Jackie Hallam – CEO (ATDC)
