The National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund in Tasmania revealed in a new report evidence of the link between alcohol and domestic violence and recommended evidence-based alcohol policy solutions…

Call To Reduce Alcohol Availability To Curb Domestic Violence

Designated homes would become “dry zones” and the number and density of bottle shops would be capped under a new proposal to curb alcohol-related family violence in Tasmania.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund in Tasmania revealed in a new report evidence of the link between alcohol and domestic violence.

  • Offenders under the influence of alcohol were 30% more likely to assault their partners during a family violence incident.
  • More than a third of all family violence incidents in Tasmania were alcohol-related, the national study found.
  • Violence involving alcohol was more severe and much more likely to involve physical attacks, causing greater physical, psychological or emotional injury than those where no alcohol was involved.
  • Notably, more than half the alcohol consumed in family violence incidents was bought between 500m and 1km from the affected home.

Alcohol policy solutions to domestic violence problem

The report has recommended far-reaching solutions to prevent and reduce alcohol-related family violence. Among others recommendations there are:

  1. Legislated “dry zones”, including on specific residential dwellings.
  2. Mandatory sobriety and treatment orders attached to family and domestic violence sentences.
  3. Capping the number of bottleshops in a community and restricting the strength of alcohol that is sold through them.
  4. Increasing the price of alcohol via either a minimum unit price or alcohol taxation increase.

Easy and increasing alcohol availability is causing problems

As reported in the Mercury in September, the number of bottle shops and liquor retailers in Tasmania has exploded during the past decade. The number of liquor off-licences in Tasmania grew to 83 by the end of the 2016 financial year.

The report found more than 80 per cent of family violence perpetrators in Tasmania were men while more than 85% of victims were women.

Family violence was more likely to take place on Saturday (16.2%) and Sunday (17.9%) than on a weekday.

Source Website: The Mercury