Alcohol in Australia
While drinking alcohol is often seen as intrinsic to Australian culture, the effects associated with over-consumption do not just affect the individual, but also the wider national community.
[6] In a failed attempt to reduce the effects of alcohol on society, liquor establishments in most Australian states were forced to close by 6 pm from the 1910s to the 1960s.
Rather than reduce alcohol consumption, the measures led to excessive drinking in the hour before closing time which became known as the six o'clock swill.
[2] In March 1965, Merle Thornton and Rosalie Bogner secured themselves to the foot rail of Brisbane's Regatta Hotel with a dog chain to protest laws excluding them, as women, from drinking with men at public bars.
In 2005, Queensland introduced a lockout trial in order to reduce alcohol-related violence at three entertainment precincts which saw patrons barred from re-entering a licensed venue after 3 am.
Alcohol is the most widely consumed drug in Australia and is frequently available at social and cultural activities.
[14] In 2010, the National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 7.2% of the Australian population drank alcohol each day.
Studies have found a variety of economic and social factors result in a higher rate of alcohol consumption.
Gender has also been found to play a large role in rural communities, with a sense of masculinity seen to heavily influence people.
Liquor outlets across Western Australia are required to request identification from those who look under 25 years of age when purchasing alcohol.
Alcohol plays a role in celebrations, a variety of social activities, relaxation, as a generator of tax revenue and as a major source of employment and exports.
[23] The driving forces behind Australia's drinking culture are derived from social customs, habits, publicised images and normality.
[21] Many Australians feel the need to consume large amounts of alcohol before going to public venues to socialise and continue drinking.
The dangerous levels of intoxication being widely accepted in Australia points to a problem with alcohol consumption.
[26] Marketing campaigns have heavily influenced the change in the type of alcohol consumed extensively by young people.
[citation needed] In March 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the allocation of $53 million in funding to target what he described as a "Binge-Drinking Epidemic" among young adults in Australia.
[citation needed] Approximately 40% of 14- to 19-year-olds drink at levels that risk harm in the short term, like accidental injuries.
In Tasmania, the sap of the Eucalyptus gunnii tree (known also as the cider gum) was collected and fermented with natural yeasts to create an alcoholic drink called way-a-linah.
In 2012 the newly elected Queensland state government, under premier Campbell Newman, proposed a winding back of the alcohol restrictions; a number of aboriginal elders and community leaders opposed these changes, citing the positive benefits brought about by the laws.
[38] In 1837, laws were passed to prevent the sale of alcoholic beverages to Aboriginal Australians, as binge drinking became a problem in indigenous communities.
[41] The Australian Medical Association claims young people in Australia are being exposed to an unprecedented level of alcohol marketing.
The guidelines also note the importance of addressing stigma associated with alcohol use and addiction to improve health outcomes.
[48] Alcohol use disorder in Australia is associated with violence, drink driving, child neglect and abuse as well as absenteeism in the workplace.
Some of these include an increase in road and other accidents, crime, public and domestic violence, brain damage, liver disease, and the breakdown of social networks.
[52] According to the 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey just over 8% of Australian adults reported being the victim of an alcohol-related assault.
[57] Dozens of scientists have vowed not to accept their funding as they lack transparency and independence stating in a joint media release Drinkwise "promotes ineffective interventions rather than measures known to be effective that reduce industry profits".
[61] Victoria and Queensland are the only states that still have a specific offence of public drunkenness, a charge that a royal commission found disproportionately affected Aboriginal people.
[63] On 22 August 2019, Victoria announced plans to decriminalise public drunkenness and to treat alcohol use disorder as a health issue.
Recent changes to legislation allow police to issue an infringement notice for these offences[65] in addition to the traditional method of charging and bailing the offender to the Magistrates' Court.
[citation needed] As of February 2009, local councils in New South Wales are not allowed to charge people who drink in alcohol-free zones; they are only permitted to confiscate the alcohol of the intoxicated person.
