THE GROG DEBATE

Thirsty Thursday
may not be
thirsty enough

by Elliot McAdam

Remember the Grog Symposium in 1994, the numerous community and long and controversial Liquor Commission hearings in Tennant Creek? They ended in March 1996 with the Liquor Commission putting new restrictions on the liquor licenses of the Tennant Creek Hotel, Goldfields Hotel and the Headframe bottle shop. These restrictions are now commonly, and generally fondly, referred to as 'Thirsty Thursday'.
The main changes on Thursdays were: no sales from front bars and no take away sales. No changes were made to club or restaurant licences whether, in-house or take aways. Other key changes were banning the sale of wine in 4 or 5 litre casks and restricting sales of 2 litre casks to one per person per day.
The previous Liquor Commissioner, John Maley, only agreed to these changes after a six month trial which was split into two 3 month phases. Dr Peter D'Abbs, in conjunction with the Living with Alcohol Program, conducted an independent evaluation which demonstrated that the first phase was an overwhelming success, - the second phase less so. The second phase allowed front bar sales and take aways after 3 pm on Thursdays. This was not enough to give the community a complete days break from the cycle of drinking.
During phase 1 (Sept - Nov '95) the number of incidents by police on Thursdays was 55% lower than in the year before, the number of patients with alcohol as a reason for them attending at the accident and emergency section of the Tennant Creek hospital was 34% lower than the year before, and the number of serious injuries caused by assaults arriving at the hospital was over a quarter lower. The reductions were particularly marked among Aboriginal women. The evaluation team had ample evidence to support their conclusion that "the six month trial represented a highly significant attempt to deal with a complex set of social issues - one that will in the future reflect positively on Tennant Creek and offer instructive ideas for other towns".
The new Liquor Commissioner, Peter Allen, has decided to once again review the liquor restrictions placed on Tennant Creek. The next step will be a public hearing on the 16 April.
This review was triggered by a complaint lodged by the Tennant Creek Town Council "on behalf of the community to ascertain if the existing restrictions met the needs of the community". This unsupported one line objection was later withdrawn. However, despite the withdrawal of this complaint, the Liquor Commissioner is keeping going with the review. This time hotels and bottle shops will not be the only ones under the spotlight. Other licensed premises such as clubs, motels, restaurants, extending to roadhouses within the Tennant Creek/Barkly region will also be included.
All five Liquor Commissioners came to Tennant Creek on the 7 January this year for a Directions Hearing, which demonstrates how seriously they are taking the review. They are all new chums, unlike the key players: the licensees and Julalikari Council. None of them had sat through the 1995-96 hearings.
There was a strong call at the Directions Hearing form groups as diverse as the police, hospital, BRADAAG, Julalikari Council and Anyinginyi Congress for a further independent evaluation of the restrictions to take before public hearings. This call has to date been rejected and instead the Liquor Commission is to make publicly available raw statistics from organisations such as Territory Health Services and NT Police. The methodology used for the previous independent evaluation was scrutinised and accepted by John Maley and has been praised by a Curtin University study. Amateur public probing of raw data cannot be seen as a substitute for a further independent evaluation.
The D'Abbs report found that overall 69% of people thought that the six month trial had positive effects on the community as a whole, with major benefits being less drinking, improvements in personal welfare, less disruptive behaviour and violent behaviour, and quieter and cleaner streets.
The Liquor Commission needs to know whether there is still this level of support for the restrictions. It should be wary of accepting uncritical surveys and blanket statements by any of the protagonists. It needs outside help. The Liquor Commission is required to take into account the needs and wishes of the community. It needs very strong evidence to overturn the previous evidence of community support for the restrictions.
In late '95 and early '96 the restrictions did reduce alcohol related harm - which is the goal of the Liquor Commission. Are the restrictions continuing to do so? An independent evaluation will provide the answers.
There is some evidence that the benefits to the community are less now than two years ago. Some drinkers are again finding ways to get drunk on Thursdays. The clubs are selling more take away on Thurdays. The Shaft used to be closed during the day but is now open on Thursday afternoons. There seems to be a shift from sweet wine to port and sherry.
It is time for a review - but lets get it right. The first step is an independent evaluation to put some objectivity into the debate and correct misinformed community opinion. The previous hearings took a toll on all the residents of Tennant Creek. They did not need to find themselves in the midst of a further set of hearings which, if mishandled, could prove racially divisive.

Thirsty Thursday may not be thirsty enough by Elliot McAdam Remember the Grog Symposium in 1994, the numerous community and long and controversial Liquor Commission hearings in Tennant Creek? They ended in March 1996 with the Liquor Commission putting new restrictions on the liquor licenses of the Tennant Creek Hotel, Goldfields Hotel and the Headframe bottle shop. These restrictions are now commonly, and generally fondly, referred to as 'Thirsty Thursday'. The main changes on Thursdays were: no sales from front bars and no take away sales. No changes were made to club or restaurant licences whether, in-house or take aways. Other key changes were banning the sale of wine in 4 or 5 litre casks and restricting sales of 2 litre casks to one per person per day. The previous Liquor Commissioner, John Maley, only agreed to these changes after a six month trial which was split into two 3 month phases. Dr Peter D'Abbs, in conjunction with the Living with Alcohol Program, conducted an independent evaluation which demonstrated that the first phase was an overwhelming success, - the second phase less so. The second phase allowed front bar sales and take aways after 3 pm on Thursdays. This was not enough to give the community a complete days break from the cycle of drinking. During phase 1 (Sept - Nov '95) the number of incidents by police on Thursdays was 55% lower than in the year before, the number of patients with alcohol as a reason for them attending at the accident and emergency section of the Tennant Creek hospital was 34% lower than the year before, and the number of serious injuries caused by assaults arriving at the hospital was over a quarter lower. The reductions were particularly marked among Aboriginal women. The evaluation team had ample evidence to support their conclusion that "the six month trial represented a highly significant attempt to deal with a complex set of social issues - one that will in the future reflect positively on Tennant Creek and offer instructive ideas for other towns". The new Liquor Commissioner, Peter Allen, has decided to once again review the liquor restrictions placed on Tennant Creek. The next step will be a public hearing on the 16 April. This review was triggered by a complaint lodged by the Tennant Creek Town Council "on behalf of the community to ascertain if the existing restrictions met the needs of the community". This unsupported one line objection was later withdrawn. However, despite the withdrawal of this complaint, the Liquor Commissioner is keeping going with the review. This time hotels and bottle shops will not be the only ones under the spotlight. Other licensed premises such as clubs, motels, restaurants, extending to roadhouses within the Tennant Creek/Barkly region will also be included. All five Liquor Commissioners came to Tennant Creek on the 7 January this year for a Directions Hearing, which demonstrates how seriously they are taking the review. They are all new chums, unlike the key players: the licensees and Julalikari Council. None of them had sat through the 1995-96 hearings. There was a strong call at the Directions Hearing form groups as diverse as the police, hospital, BRADAAG, Julalikari Council and Anyinginyi Congress for a further independent evaluation of the restrictions to take before public hearings. This call has to date been rejected and instead the Liquor Commission is to make publicly available raw statistics from organisations such as Territory Health Services and NT Police. The methodology used for the previous independent evaluation was scrutinised and accepted by John Maley and has been praised by a Curtin University study. Amateur public probing of raw data cannot be seen as a substitute for a further independent evaluation. The D'Abbs report found that overall 69% of people thought that the six month trial had positive effects on the community as a whole, with major benefits being less drinking, improvements in personal welfare, less disruptive behaviour and violent behaviour, and quieter and cleaner streets. The Liquor Commission needs to know whether there is still this level of support for the restrictions. It should be wary of accepting uncritical surveys and blanket statements by any of the protagonists. It needs outside help. The Liquor Commission is required to take into account the needs and wishes of the community. It needs very strong evidence to overturn the previous evidence of community support for the restrictions. In late '95 and early '96 the restrictions did reduce alcohol related harm - which is the goal of the Liquor Commission. Are the restrictions continuing to do so? An independent evaluation will provide the answers. There is some evidence that the benefits to the community are less now than two years ago. Some drinkers are again finding ways to get drunk on Thursdays. The clubs are selling more take away on Thurdays. The Shaft used to be closed during the day but is now open on Thursday afternoons. There seems to be a shift from sweet wine to port and sherry. It is time for a review - but lets get it right. The first step is an independent evaluation to put some objectivity into the debate and correct misinformed community opinion. The previous hearings took a toll on all the residents of Tennant Creek. They did not need to find themselves in the midst of a further set of hearings which, if mishandled, could prove racially divisive.		Graphis by Alison Alder.