QCAA submission to the Discussion paper: Reducing alcohol and other drug impacts in Queensland

The Queensland Coalition for Action on Alcohol (QCAA) provided a submission to the discussion paper, Reducing alcohol and other drug impacts in Queensland for the Queensland Drug and Alcohol Action Plan 2015-17.

QCAA’s submission focuses on alcohol and makes a total of 25 recommendations of key priorities for action to prevent alcohol harms.

Recommendations

1. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 adopts prevention as a guiding principle.
2. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to promote a ‘health in all policies’ approach across all government agencies.
3. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 actively supports the legislation for 3am last drinks and 1am lockout be introduced as soon as possible to prevent further alcohol harm from occurring.
4. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 actively supports the reintroduction of the moratorium on late night trading.
5. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to liaise with the Department of Justice and Attorney General to remove exemptions on 10pm close for off-licence venues.
6. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action for the development of a framework to manage outlet density through the introduction of measures such as cluster control policies and saturation zones, which takes into consideration police data related to crime, including domestic and non-domestic assault.
7. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action that the government evaluate the 3am last drinks and 1am lockout measures once they are introduced.
8. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to advocate for the introduction of a minimum price for alcohol of at least one dollar per standard drink to stop the extreme discounting of alcohol.
9. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to reduce community exposure to alcohol related promotions that normalise problematic drinking in social situations and promote excessive consumption of alcohol.
10. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to advocate for the prohibition for point of sale promotional materials for liquor (such as ‘happy hours’, free gifts with purchase, prominent signage, competitions, price discounts for bulk purchases, and sale prices) from being displayed on and around licensed premises where minors are likely to be present.
11. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to reduce young people’s exposure to alcohol advertising by working with the Australian Government and other state and territory governments to ensure alcohol products are not targeted at people younger than 18 years.
12. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to ban the redemption of alcohol ‘shopper docket’ promotions, which promote discounted alcohol on supermarket receipts.
13. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to ban alcohol promotions on state property, including public transport.
14. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an evidence-based education and awareness campaign that is based on social learning theory designed and is supported by other interventions aimed at supply, demand and harm reduction.
15. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 addresses the need for the Queensland Government to provide adequate and secure funding for the AODs sector to enable them to provide quality services that can meet the needs of individuals and respond to changes in these needs.
16. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes measures to address gaps in service delivery and creates funded mechanisms that enable collaboration between different sectors.
17. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to implement routine collection and annual reporting on alcohol harms to inform the development of alcohol policy and the evaluation of programs and services.
18. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action for the use of screening and brief interventions by health practitioners in primary health care and emergency department settings to identify people at risk from alcohol and provide a brief intervention or referral as required.
19. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 supports the use of The Common Approach as a tool to identify early children and families in need of support from alcohol harm and to prevent a crisis situation from developing and people being at risk of much greater harm.
20. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to promote the Women Want to Know campaign that encourages and supports health professionals to talk to their clients about alcohol use during pregnancy to reduce the harm from alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding and prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
21. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 establishes additional Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders diagnostic services to be delivered to people in Queensland and particularly those living in rural and remote locations.
22. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 seeks access to early intervention services for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and funds these accordingly.
23. That in addressing the particular needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 is informed by previous work such as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s Drug Strategy 2014-2019 and the report of the Inquiry into the harmful consumption of alcohol in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
24. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to establish sobering-up shelters to provide support, care and monitoring for those who are intoxicated. These should be independent of law enforcement activities.
25. That the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Action Plan 2015-2017 includes an action to establish community patrols in urban, regional and remote locations where these do not exist and a need is identified, to improve community safety and reduce harm in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.