The NT has the highest rates of alcohol consumption per person in Australia, with one quarter of adults consuming alcohol at a level that puts them at risk of long-term harm. Photo: LordHenriVoton.
The Northern Territory (NT) Liquor Act’s policy objectives “remain valid” and the terms for achieving those goals “largely remain appropriate”, according to an NT Government review.
The review into the act aiming to minimise alcohol-related harm in the NT was publicly released this October, exactly three years after it was rewritten in 2019 following an independent review into the territory’s alcohol policies and legislation. The new act incorporated 70 of the review’s recommendations, spanning several reforms relating to the sale, provision, service, promotion and consumption of alcohol.
The recent 2023 review recommended several amendments to the updated act, as well as changes to the Banned Drinker Register (BDR), to simplify the pathway for police to issue banned-drinker orders.
NT Chief Minister and Alcohol Policy Minister Natasha Fyles described the current BDR as an effective way to reduce harm at “minimal cost” and with “no adverse impact to industry and consumers”.
The NT Government said changes to the BDR, if enacted, would mostly impact people consuming harmful levels of alcohol and interacting with police or therapeutic intervention programs.
This and other recommendations in the report are set to be reviewed by the Government, which said it would work with stakeholders to create amendments by the end of the year.
Review author, the NT Government’s Alcohol Policy Coordination Unit, is also progressing several other actions to reduce alcohol-related harm, including:
- Reporting key alcohol indicators publicly on the NT Government website.
- Investigating the outstanding recommendations of the Alcohol Policies and Legislation Review (Riley Review).
- Developing the NT’s Alcohol Action Plan 2023-2025 that sets out actions to reduce alcohol-related harm for Territorians.
The NT has long been the focus of a number of reviews and legislative actions relating to alcohol consumption, on account of its rates of consumption per person being the highest in Australia, with one quarter of adult Territorians consuming alcohol at a level that puts them at risk of long-term harm. Ms Fyles said alcohol-related harm continued to be one of the “greatest social issues” facing the territory today.
“Every Territorian has the right to live and work in a safe community, that’s why this Government has done more than any other government when it comes to alcohol policy,” she said.
“The Territory Government recognises the importance of a strong regulatory framework for alcohol in the [NT], to minimise the harm that alcohol causes in our community and to provide certainty for business, the public and industry.”
