The number of serious head injuries and alcohol-related harm in Port Augusta has dramatically reduced since alcohol restrictions were introduced at the start of last year, the liquor commissioner says.
Key points:
- Alcohol restrictions were introduced in Port Augusta in February 2022
- The Liquor and Gambling Commissioner said the restrictions were introduced due to community concerns
- The restrictions remain ongoing, but are under constant review
Purchasing restrictions on alcohol in the town in SA’s Spencer Gulf were first introduced in February 2022.
Bottle shops in Port Augusta do not open before 11am, and customers are limited to purchasing two 750ml bottles of spirits, or one two-litre cask of wine with casks over two litres prohibited from sale, or one 750ml bottle of fortified wine.
After the 10-month trial period, the restrictions were made ongoing for the town in November 2022.
Commissioner for Liquor and Gambling in South Australia Dini Soulio said the restrictions were frequently reviewed but were proving incredibly helpful in alcohol harm reduction.
“We introduced them as a trial to try to reduce the volumes of alcohol that could be purchased at any one time and therefore the volumes of alcohol that were in the community at any one time,” Mr Soulio said.
“We saw that as an opportunity to have health services engage with the people when they’re not as intoxicated, and that’s certainly the effect we’ve seen since they’ve been introduced.”
Mr Soulio said feedback from stakeholders including alcohol rehabilitation services had been positive.
“The hospitals tell me they’ve had reductions in serious head injuries and trauma, there’s still anti-social behaviour and alcohol being consumed … the fact that we’re seeing fewer serious head injuries, the hospitals are really happy with that, and so should we be as members of the community,” he said.
“Even as recently as this week I’ve heard from the day centre at Port Augusta saying the intoxication levels of people is much less, and people used to show up at 0.3 and 0.4, but now it’s 0.1,” he said.
Alinda Hogg is the coordinator at Stepping Stones Drug and Alcohol Day Centre in Port Augusta and said there had been a marked change since the alcohol restrictions were introduced.
“We used to have to call SAPOL (SA Police) numerous times a week. That is extremely rare now, even the last few times we’ve needed SAPOL assistance it wasn’t for alcohol-fuelled problems,” Ms Hogg said.
“I come from a 48-year nursing background and the changes in their health are pretty astronomical.”
Ms Hogg said she hoped the current alcohol restrictions remained.
“Some of [our clients] are still a bit peeved that the restrictions are on, but they can understand what benefits it’s had to them and people around them,” she said.
“We’re not seeing the amount of injuries that are coming in on mornings.”
Constantly reviewed
Mr Soulio said he frequently received feedback from related parties in the town including SAPOL to ensure the restrictions were appropriate and not excessive.
“It’s important to recognise that things like dry zones and alcohol restrictions are a very blunt instrument, and a lot of the issues that we’re talking about are a health concern,” he said.
In addition to Port Augusta, alcohol purchasing restrictions are in place in Ceduna, Coober Pedy, and Whyalla.
An ID scan process ensured the purchasing limits were followed.
“We go through a process where we just make sure the [current restrictions are] still right and achieving the outcomes we want,” Mr Soulio said.
“Part of that will be looking at: Do they need to be changed? Do they need to be scaled back? Do we need to add different products? Those sorts of things, so we go through that process quite regularly.
“Because [the restrictions] are causing inconvenience and they have an impact on bottle shops and retailers as well, we don’t want to have any restrictions that are above and beyond what are needed to achieve the outcomes.”