The Impact of Liquor Restrictions on Serious Assaults across Queensland, Australia

Nicholas Taylor, Kerri Coomber, Richelle Mayshak, Renee Zahnow, Jason Ferris and Peter Miller
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Nicholas Taylor: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
Kerri Coomber: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
Richelle Mayshak: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
Renee Zahnow: School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Jason Ferris: Centre for Health Services Research, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Peter Miller: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-10

Abstract: Aims : This study aimed to explore the relationship between a 00:00 liquor restriction, introduced on 1 July 2016, and alcohol-related harm by examining its impact on serious assault numbers during high-alcohol hours (20:00–6:00 Friday and Saturday night), from 1 January 2009 to 30 June 2018. Methods : Two types of locations only impacted by the liquor restriction were identified: designated safe night precincts (SNPs) and other local government areas (LGAs). A times series autoregressive integrated moving average analysis was used to estimate the influence of liquor restrictions on police-recorded serious assaults in the two years following the policy introduction, for SNPs and LGAs separately. Results : Contrarily to our predictions, monthly police-recorded serious assaults did not significantly change within SNPs or LGAs following the introduction of liquor restrictions. Conclusion : The implementation of the Queensland liquor restriction did not result in a clear, unique reduction in serious assault trends. Further investigation should consider the impact of liquor restrictions in conjunction with other policy changes as public perception of restrictions and their cumulative impact may produce varied outcomes.

Keywords: nightlife; night-time economy; alcohol drinking; policy; alcoholic beverages; assault (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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