The Wire

The Northern Territory’s alcohol problems are legendary and reducing alcohol consumption was one of the targets of the NT intervention. This week the government has announced that it will continue the intervention into indigenous communities, but has failed to support the call for a floor price, in spite of evidence that making alcohol more expensive means people drink less.

The People’s Alcohol Action Coalition has succeeded in getting the major retailers in Alice Springs to lift the price of cask wine and cleanskins but the pubs still serve cheap alcohol. They say the Federal government has missed an opportunity  to weigh in and make a real difference to the alcohol problem in the Territory.