It’s been a good news week this week. In terms of reducing alcohol related harm, anyway.

In Western Australia, the Education and Health Standing Committee’s report entitled ‘Alcohol: Reducing the harm and curbing the culture of excess’ has been released, and with it some cracking recommendations.

The report challenges the State Government to establish a target to return the State’s current annual per capita alcohol consumption of 12.4 litres to the national average of 10.4 litres per capita within four years, and that’s just the beginning.

The report suggests:

• allowing police to conduct controlled purchasing operations in licensed premises;
• putting restrictions on purchasing take away liquor until the age of 20;
• restrictions on the secondary supply of alcohol to minors;
• reducing hours of trade for premises having problems with violence and/or breaching the Liquor Control Act;
• phasing out alcohol promotions from times and placements with high exposure to young people; and
• phasing out the sponsorship of sporting bodies in WA by alcohol companies,

amongst a whole raft of other (54 to be precise) recommendations.

A recommendation around secondary supply never fails to fill me with delight – now we just need the ACT and SA to get on the secondary supply train!

But better still – a recommendation around a split purchase age (you can enter licensed premises is at 18, but have to be 20 to buy packaged liquor) is pretty innovative.  I think I’ve mentioned before that it’s being contemplated in NZ, which has generated a bit of discussion about it here as well.

For those GrogWatchers who don’t know - the thinking behind it is that more young people will be drinking in a ‘supervised' environment provided by licensed premises, which is preferable to them buying alcohol from packaged liquor outlets and drinking behind a bus stop.

It may also result in a decrease in the supply of alcohol to underage young people – given that a 17 year old is less likely to have a 20 year old friend who can purchase alcohol for them, where as I’d be surprised if there was a 17 year old out there that didn’t have an 18 year old friend.

It’ll be interesting to see what the WA Government does with recommendations. But in the meantime – what do you think about a split purchase age? Good idea, or should we just raise the drinking age across the board?

Until next week,

Sarah Jaggard
Community Mobilisation Policy Officer

And you’d know for the past couple of weeks we’ve been talking about minimum pricing – well, how’s this for taking the initiative:

In an effort to stop alcohol-fuelled violence in Alice Springs, Coles supermarkets are introducing a minimum price on bottled wine ($8), and in addition will no longer sell cheap two-litre casks of wine.

Shortly after the announcement, Woolworths followed suit, declaring that it too would phase out two-litre casks in Alice Springs.

While these strategies won’t singlehandedly solve Alice’s issues with alcohol, they’re a great addition.

The World Health Organization (WHO) have released Government guidance on alcohol regulation: Addressing the harmful use of alcohol - a guide to developing effective alcohol regulation.

The guide is to assist government agencies and ministries in developing country-level legislation to implement, monitor and enforce effective alcohol policies. It provides practical advice based on international experience about the implications of legislative options, steps to be taken to implement legislation and best practice on how to enforce legislation and support compliance.

Moves to establish alcohol advisory body
23 June 2011
A Parliamentary Committee investigating alcohol and illicit drug problems is urging the State Government to establish a liquor control advisory council. Committee chairwoman Janet Woollard says the body could look at ways to cut down excessive alcohol consumption.

WA report urges crackdown on booze
Sydney Morning Herald, 23 June 2011
West Australians under the age of 20 could be banned from buying alcohol at bottle shops if a recommendation by a parliamentary committee is adopted. While a minimum floor price on alcohol should be set by the end of the year to combat binge drinking.

Pushing the boundaries is a healthy thing to do
The West Australian, 23 June 2011
Twenty years ago, children at the Perth Royal Show would queue to ride the Winfield chair lift. In 2009, thanks to Healthway support, the Perth Royal Show became the biggest smoke-free community event in the world.

Liquor industry claims alcohol crackdown will push drinkers to drugs
WA Today, 24 June 2011
WA is the highest consumer of alcohol in the country and 10th in the world per capita. A crackdown on the availability of alcohol in Western Australia will only serve to push addicts and binge drinkers onto other drugs, the liquor industry claims.

Alice Springs supermarkets move to curb alcohol abuse
The Age, 24 June 2011
Eight dollars will become the new cheap in Alice Springs from next month. After July 1 it will be impossible to buy wine for less than $8 a bottle in Coles supermarkets and impossible to buy two-litre casks.