Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / People’s Alcohol Action Coalition Prof Dr John Boffa says the impacts of lifting the alcohol ban in remote communities is being played out in Alice Springs

Transcript

People’s Alcohol Action Coalition Prof Dr John Boffa says the impacts of lifting the alcohol ban in remote communities is being played out in Alice Springs · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, there is no doubt that the situation in Alice
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Springs has been dominating headlines right around the nation. And
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: as we've spoken about, yesterday, the Chief Minister and also
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: the Prime Minister Anthony Albinezi, well, they announced that they
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: are going to have these alcohol restrictions. So essentially, Mondays
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  Speaker 1: and Tuesdays are going to be takeaway alcohol free days
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  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs and then there's going to be reduced
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  Speaker 1: alcohol reduced hours on the remaining days from three pm
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  Speaker 1: until seven pm only for takeaway alcohol. The government's also
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  Speaker 1: going to introduce one transaction per person each day, doing
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  Speaker 1: so immediately through the Band Drinker Register. Now, one person
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  Speaker 1: who we've spoken to on numerous occasions about the ending
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  Speaker 1: of the Stronger Futures legislation and the impact that it
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  Speaker 1: was going to have, or concerningly they thought it was
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  Speaker 1: going to have, is Professor John Boffer. Here is the
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  Speaker 1: spokesperson for the People's Alcohol Action Coalition and joins me
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  Speaker 1: on the line right now. Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Doctor Boffer, and good more and caddy.
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  Speaker 1: Doctor Boffer. As I said, you and I have spoken
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  Speaker 1: before about the ending of the Stronger Futures legislation, you
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  Speaker 1: called it six months ago even longer and said that
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  Speaker 1: the ending of that legislation is going to have a
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  Speaker 1: significant impact. And it really has hasn't that.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Look, it has had the impact not just the
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  Speaker 2: People's Alcohol Action Coalition, but the Averaginal Health Service and
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  Speaker 2: Amsan Naja, the Legal Service, other Averaginal organizations. We all
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  Speaker 2: knew it was going to have a big impact, and
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  Speaker 2: we all knew that this has been an incredibly the
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  Speaker 2: most effective alcoholic production measure that we've seen in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: There was a difference of opinion about that, clearly the government,
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  Speaker 2: I think they were hoping that the minimum flow price
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  Speaker 2: and BDR and other measures would be sufficient and that
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  Speaker 2: removing this would not be as harmful as we thought
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  Speaker 2: it would be. Well, I think now it's plea to everybody.
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  Speaker 2: It has been very harmful. It has led to a
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  Speaker 2: very large increase in our cohol consumption and harms. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's about five additional assaults per day, and we're talking
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  Speaker 2: the severe end of the assault spectrum, you know, stabbings, acts, wounds,
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  Speaker 2: machete winds, broken limbs, those sorts of things not and
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  Speaker 2: so it has unfortunately created the harm that we thought
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  Speaker 2: it would. But importantly now we do have now a
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  Speaker 2: very serious commitment from both the com and the norn
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  Speaker 2: Churchi government to address the situation, and the Chief Minister
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  Speaker 2: has announced some very strong immediate measures to alcohol. Takeaway
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  Speaker 2: day three days a week is significant, it's very significant,
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  Speaker 2: the production and take away trading hours is very significant.
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  Speaker 2: A commitment to consult further on the stronger future provisions.
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  Speaker 2: Because what people might appreciate, it is only Ella Springs
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  Speaker 2: in Central Australia that's really suffered, because the Averaginal living
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  Speaker 2: areas around ten and Creking happened are still alcohol banned
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  Speaker 2: their general restricted areas under the non Chenship correct because
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  Speaker 2: the people in those areas have requested that and they've
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  Speaker 2: got that, and they've had that for a very long time.
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  Speaker 2: So the palleys in those towns are still as effective
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  Speaker 2: as they were, and so we've seen actually as things
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  Speaker 2: all Springs have got a lot worse, things in towner
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  Speaker 2: Greek have actually improved. And that's what we should have
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  Speaker 2: expected in two thousand and twenty two to see improvement
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  Speaker 2: because all over the world in the COVID years twenty
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  Speaker 2: twenty twenty twenty one, alcohol consumption went up, domestic violence
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  Speaker 2: went up, not just in Australia but in the US
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  Speaker 2: and other in Europe across the world. That was a
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  Speaker 2: phenomenon we saw. And equally in twenty twenty two, as
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  Speaker 2: the COVID situation improved, we started to see a decline
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  Speaker 2: again in consumption and harm, but not in CenTra Australia.
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  Speaker 2: It's gone the opposite. So really, when you think about
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  Speaker 2: where we should have been and where we are, it's
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  Speaker 2: even worse. So it is really important now that we've
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  Speaker 2: got this commitment. People understand that alcohol is essential to
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  Speaker 2: the problem and they understand the need for an immediate
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  Speaker 2: solution through Supployd Action as well as the commitment through
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  Speaker 2: an alcohol management plan that addresses the underlying social determinants.
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  Speaker 1: Doctor Boffer, were you in a situation were you able
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  Speaker 1: to did you speak or did anybody from the People's
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  Speaker 1: Alcohol Action Coalition have the opportunity to speak to the
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  Speaker 1: Prime Minister yesterday? And what did you convey?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Look, I had the opportunity to speak to the
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  Speaker 2: Prime Minister and the Chief Minister and the other people
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  Speaker 2: that came to other spring, the other politicians, and we
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  Speaker 2: conveyed the message that I'm just talking to you about
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  Speaker 2: now that it has caused harm. We showed some data
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  Speaker 2: about the level of harm that has occurred and talked
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  Speaker 2: about what needs to happen going forward, and you know
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  Speaker 2: that we did getitments from both governments and they've announced
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  Speaker 2: those publicly. So if you've heard what's happening, which is
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  Speaker 2: really significant, I think you know the Chief Minister is
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  Speaker 2: very committed and understands how serious alcohol is, and I
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  Speaker 2: think we had a misunderstanding in terms of how significant
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  Speaker 2: this one measure was. But we've now got very serious
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  Speaker 2: restrictions and a commitment to look at the an opt
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  Speaker 2: out system for the stronger future legislation as well as
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  Speaker 2: a commitment for further investment and also looking at an
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  Speaker 2: alcohol management plan that does look at the big issues
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  Speaker 2: like early childhood trauma. What are we going to do
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  Speaker 2: about it? Access to education we've got, you know, school
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  Speaker 2: attendance in cent Australia's dropped to the lowest level ever.
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  Speaker 2: You've got less than a third of children going to
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  Speaker 2: school four days a week. That's an important underlying determent
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  Speaker 2: that leads to you know, then you've got unemployment, poverty.
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  Speaker 2: We know we've got a population that's very susceptible to
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  Speaker 2: dependence on alcohol and unregulated use of alcohol. So this
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  Speaker 2: is why we do need special measures, and we need
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  Speaker 2: them until we get on top of those other issues.
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  Speaker 1: And doctor Bob, I'm glad that you raise that because
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  Speaker 1: i know that that in the past the Chief Minister
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  Speaker 1: has said we cannot have race based policy and had
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  Speaker 1: really pushed back on that, and you know, had said
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  Speaker 1: that the Stronger Future's legislation was race based policy. But fundamentally,
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  Speaker 1: you know, we have got a serious issue with alcohol.
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  Speaker 1: Do you do you accept that that it's race based
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  Speaker 1: policy or do you think that that's you know, that
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  Speaker 1: sort of hiding under the guise of something being racist
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  Speaker 1: when it's actually not.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, the policy really as it existed, it is discriminatory.
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  Speaker 2: It is primarily directed at or directed that people living
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  Speaker 2: on average land. So it is discriminatory, but not all
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  Speaker 2: funs of discrimination and racism. And we've made the point
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  Speaker 2: there is publicly discrimination or affirmative action that's well described
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  Speaker 2: and it's used in many different settings. It's used by
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  Speaker 2: the Federal Labor Party for women's pre selection, which is
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  Speaker 2: why we're now seeing so many great women in the
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  Speaker 2: federal Parliament. That's a very effective example of how positive
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  Speaker 2: discriminational affirmative action works. So sometimes when you've got a
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  Speaker 2: marginalize disadvantaged group, you do need to look at policies
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  Speaker 2: that are positive discrimination, which is what we thought this was.
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  Speaker 2: And you have to balance the rights, the fundamental rights
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  Speaker 2: of women to be free from violence, children to be
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  Speaker 2: free from hunger, children to be parented and cared for appropriately,
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  Speaker 2: that those things that are undermined if there's too much alcohol,
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  Speaker 2: too much intoxication happening in a community. So it's not
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  Speaker 2: a simple equation, and so it was very simplicity. So
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  Speaker 2: it was racist, and I think that I think there's
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  Speaker 2: an awareness that we've got to move beyond that and
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  Speaker 2: find practical solutions that work, whatever those solutions may be.
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  Speaker 1: Doctor Boffer, you mentioned before that level of harm and
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  Speaker 1: the I think you said five presents a day and
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  Speaker 1: we're talking axe wounds and that kind of thing. Was
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  Speaker 1: that correct? Can you just talk me through those numbers
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  Speaker 1: again and how that was collated.
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  Speaker 2: We're talking about since theation, stronger futures on average, and
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  Speaker 2: additional five assaults a day domestic assaults and alcohol related assaults,
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  Speaker 2: so five the day more you know, you're thirty five
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  Speaker 2: forty extra a week and see what and they're the
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  Speaker 2: severe those assaults are leading to us. A lot of
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  Speaker 2: them are leading to hospitalizations and emergency department presentations, and
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  Speaker 2: that ties up police resources because, as the police keep
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  Speaker 2: telling us clearly, you've got to deal with interpersonal violence
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  Speaker 2: ahead of property crime. So police are tied up because
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  Speaker 2: of those additional assaults and the interpersonal violence and domestic lance,
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  Speaker 2: and then they have less capacity to deal with property
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  Speaker 2: crime and other things that are going on, and it
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  Speaker 2: becomestin and you've got your child protection workers completely overwhelmed
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  Speaker 2: again because of increased problems with car and protecting the
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  Speaker 2: children because of the amount of olcohol in the community.
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  Speaker 2: So that you know, as the police have been saying,
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  Speaker 2: you can't just police your way out of this. You've
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  Speaker 2: got we've got a very high ratio of police to
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  Speaker 2: population now it's at least one to one hundred, so
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  Speaker 2: that you know, in Australian terms, that's incredibly high, perhaps
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  Speaker 2: the highest in the country. So we've got to do
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  Speaker 2: other things. We needed a second breaker. The police wanted
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  Speaker 2: what we've got now. The police are very very clear
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  Speaker 2: that this will make a difference and enable them to
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  Speaker 2: get on and do that, to be able to have
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  Speaker 2: time for other aspects of police and respond quicker. That's important,
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  Speaker 2: but it's not by itself, it's not enough.
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  Speaker 1: You know.
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  Speaker 2: This again highlights the fact that until we seriously address
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  Speaker 2: early childhood trauma, early childhood programs, education access to schools,
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  Speaker 2: like teacher turnout, of getting the right teachers in the schools,
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  Speaker 2: getting bilingual education in the schools, getting schools to be
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  Speaker 2: a place where there's good to engagement where young people
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  Speaker 2: will attend and stay. They're getting employment and lifting people
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  Speaker 2: out of poverty and addressing overcrowding. Now there are some
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  Speaker 2: serious commitments from the new Labor government to addressing housing
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  Speaker 2: and employment, but we need we need a lot more
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  Speaker 2: focus on education. That requires a two way discussion. It's
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  Speaker 2: not just government, it's government and community working together. So
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  Speaker 2: there is a commitment to a partnership between both levels
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  Speaker 2: of government and the community to work on the issues,
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  Speaker 2: and that commitment needs.
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  Speaker 1: To stay, Doctor Bofferd. Before I let you go, just
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  Speaker 1: very quickly, I do want to ask you. We know
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  Speaker 1: the regional Controller Darrell Anderson, due to report back on
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  Speaker 1: the first of February, what are you hoping what is
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  Speaker 1: you know, what is the People's Alcohol Action Coalition hoping
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  Speaker 1: comes from that first of February when she reports back.
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  Speaker 2: Look, we're hoping that she reports back that after the consultations,
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  Speaker 2: people do want to move to an opt out system
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  Speaker 2: with the former strong refugures. I'll call it the restrictions.
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  Speaker 2: That's what we'd be hoping for from that consultation and
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  Speaker 2: we'll see what comes out of it.
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  Speaker 1: Well, doctor John Boffer, we always appreciate your time. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you very much for having a chat with us this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katy, thank you