Preventing Alcohol-related Harm in Australia - Department of Health

Local governments can contribute to themanagement of the physical availability ofalcohol and the creation of safer drinkingsettings, and engage in environmental designand planning that contributes to and supportscommunity wellbeing. There are many examplesof innovative, locally responsive measures inAustralia, in part to respond to the modernphenomena of ‘night-time economies’.[8]Throughout Australia, there is also aconsiderable amount of community-basedactivity under way in preventing alcohol-relatedharm, some of which is government fundedand some of which is led by charitable groups.The contribution of community-level actionis significant, and is integral to the effectiveimplementation of federal, state and localgovernment polices and programs.Overall, while rhetoric is aimed at prevention,and there is currently a mood to address thenegative side of alcohol use, there is greatdifficulty in gaining coherent, cooperative,strategic and effective action. This situationmight be compared to the place of andresponses to tobacco smoking in Australiain the 1960s.1.5 Recent developments in AustraliaNational Binge Drinking StrategyOn 28 March 2008, the Prime Ministerannounced a new national strategy to addressthe binge drinking epidemic among youngAustralians.[9]Council of Australian Governments(COAG) Binge Drinking AgreementThe Council of Australian Governments (COAG)recently agreed on the importance of tacklingthe harmful consumption of alcohol amongyoung people and asked the MinisterialCouncil on Drug Strategy to report to it inDecember 2008 on options to reduce bingedrinking, including in relation to closing hours,the responsible service of alcohol, recklesssecondary supply and the alcohol contentin ready-to-drink beverages. The AustraliaNew Zealand Food Regulation MinisterialCouncil is to request Food Standards AustraliaNew Zealand to consider mandatory healthwarnings on packaged alcohol.[10]Ministerial Council onDrug Strategy (MCDS)The work of the Ministerial Council on DrugStrategy (MCDS) includes a focus on theassessment of late-night lock-outs for licensedpremises and the development of a preferredframework to more effectively target policeresources on binge drinking hot spots. It is alsofocused on a national policy framework forthe responsible service of alcohol, a preferredregulatory model to address the secondarysupply of alcohol to minors, options for reducingthe alcohol content in products (including thoseaimed at young people), possible standards andcontrols for alcohol advertising targeting youngpeople, and advice regarding the impact ofhealth warnings on alcohol products.[11]Northern Territory initiative and otherAboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderspecific initiativesPerhaps the most radical experiments inresponding to problems, especially amongAboriginal Australians, have been carried outin the Northern Territory. Most recently, theNorthern Territory Initiative was implementedby the then Minister for Aboriginal Affairs of theprevious Australian government, and is soon tobe reviewed after one year of implementation.This is a complex area and this paper will notattempt to summarise interventions specific toIndigenous Australians or presume to providecomprehensive information in this area.4