Northern Territory alcohol purchasing laws tighten

According to new laws nearly 11,000 people in Alice Springs and Katherine have to obtain other forms of identification to buy alcohol later this year. Some residents in the towns now use Tangentyere identification or other cards to meet a photo ID requirement. The Northern Territory Government is changing its ID scanner system and will only accept driving licenses, proof-of-age cards and passports.

Alcohol Policy Minister Delia Lawrie had announced earlier that ID scanners would be installed in every takeaway liquor outlet in the Territory from July. Top End Hotel bottle shop manager Dave Cannon said scanners would “help out” with turning away problem drinkers. Ms Lawrie had announced the $4.7 million system would turn problem drinkers “off tap” and mandate treatment.

According to Ms Lawrie she has heard stories of bottle shops keeping fake IDs to sell drinks to some people. “'If we get a sense that anyone is trying to work against it... we'll go in hard with inspectors…'We'll be doing random checks of points of sale to check they don't have a stash of false IDs,” she said.

Also problem drinkers will be banned from buying alcohol at takeaway bottle shops in the Territory if their name appears on a banned list. Ms Lawrie had said anyone taken into the police watchhouse three times in three months or who committed an alcohol-related crime would be considered a problem drinker. That person “automatically” would be banned for three months. “(The register) will enable people who are banned in one community, to be banned everywhere,” she said.

Opposition alcohol policy spokesman Peter Chandler said the problem was not about access to alcohol but about the choice to drink. “We need to deal with the anti-social behaviour…People who want to drink will get the alcohol,” he said. Mr Chandler added that the money should be put into alcohol rehabilitation. “That would be money well spent,” he said. Ms Lawrie said the system would be an “enhanced” model to that in Katherine and Alice Springs. Mr. Chandler in reply said systems there were not working.

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Mandal, Ananya. (2018, August 23). Northern Territory alcohol purchasing laws tighten. News-Medical. Retrieved on November 25, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20110413/Northern-Territory-alcohol-purchasing-laws-tighten.aspx.

  • MLA

    Mandal, Ananya. "Northern Territory alcohol purchasing laws tighten". News-Medical. 25 November 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/news/20110413/Northern-Territory-alcohol-purchasing-laws-tighten.aspx>.

  • Chicago

    Mandal, Ananya. "Northern Territory alcohol purchasing laws tighten". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20110413/Northern-Territory-alcohol-purchasing-laws-tighten.aspx. (accessed November 25, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Mandal, Ananya. 2018. Northern Territory alcohol purchasing laws tighten. News-Medical, viewed 25 November 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/news/20110413/Northern-Territory-alcohol-purchasing-laws-tighten.aspx.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Pandemic stress linked to long-term rise in alcohol consumption