Alcohol research: all the government's own way

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By ERWIN CHLANDA

 
The government will be spending more than $1m on evaluating its Alcohol Harm Minimisation Action Plan but it is still blocking access to raw data on which statistics of booze-related police and hospital interventions are based.
 
The Alice Springs News has requested that information more than a month ago when claims were being made of substantial drops in alcohol-related crime.
 
Meanwhile the government says in a media release that its new research project “involves an extensive team of national leaders in alcohol harm reduction policy and research, linking with Northern Territory clinical service providers to provide a comprehensive evaluation of our innovative alcohol harm reduction reforms.
 

“The project will investigate the long term impact of the Banned Drinker Register, and our other measures in the Northern Territory, on reducing alcohol related harm. The study will use qualitative and quantitative methods across urban and remote locations to assess the impacts.”

 
Partners in the research project team include the Deakin, Curtin and La Trobe universities, Central Australia Aboriginal Congress, the NT Public Health Network, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT, South Australian Medical and Health Research Institute, Foundation of Alcohol Research and Education and Turning Point.
 
 
 

1 COMMENT

  1. I see absolutely NIL reason that data about public assets and public policy would be withheld other than the fact the data reveals some politically inconvenient facts.
    As such, perhaps a FOI request is needed.
    Gunner’s NT Government – the least transparent of them all.

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