Alcohol Pricing Policy Change in Australia Essay Pdf 2022

Running head: ALCOHOL PRICING POLICY CHANGE IN AUSTRALIA
Alcohol Pricing Policy Change in Australia
Name of the Student
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Author Note

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Introduction
The issue of alcohol consumption has greatly enhanced in recent time around the
world along with Australia. While Individuals aged 45-74 years’ experience the highest rates
of alcohol-associated deaths, the rate of alcohol consumption is highest amongst the
individuals of 12 to 34 years Australia. There is a strong correlation between intoxicated and
a perpetrator of the crime since majority of the adolescents involve in the reckless behaviours
such as criminal offense after consuming alcohol. According to the study of Australian
Health (2018), it is stated that excessive consumption of alcohol encourage young
Australians involve in various social harms such as violent behaviours, sexual assaults and
drinking and driving that resulted accidental death. Thus the case of alcohol related harms
enhancing in the different part of Australia that intensifying the need for policy change.
Hence, this essay aims to provide a clear explanation and justification behind social harm by
young Australian and policy change that will reduce the chosen harm in the following
paragraphs.
Discussion:
Chosen harm associated
For many decade, adolescents of young Australians tend to involve excessive alcohol
consumption and overdose of alcohol which resulted social harms such as accidental deaths,
sexual assaults and drunk driving. According to the study of Seid et al. (2018) excessive
consumption of alcohol and overdose of alcohol to leads to social harm such as violent
behaviour(Simons-Morton et al., 2016).In Australia, almost 39.8 per cent of young
Australian consume alcohols under the age groups of 12 to 23 years (Jiang et al., 2019). It
therefore, the social effect is also observed in their employment, studies, relationship, work,
health, social life, finances, and family interactions (Stockings et al., 2016).

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While discussing this contradictory nature of the alcohol-harm related data of
Australia, it can be mentioned that alcohol allows the people to drink more alcohol.
According to the study of Australian health (2018), it is stated that in Australia, nearly 63
per cent of the total people consume alcohol and among them most of the drinkers are young
Australian and moreover it is very important to mention that among the young drinkers of the
country 16 per cent are under the category of heavy drinking. Sutherland et al. (2015)
suggested that due to the negative impact of the alcohol consumption, it has become a serious
national issue for the Australia. Many researchers suggested that heavy consumption of
alcohol is associated with violent behaviours where reduced self-control plays crucial role.
Davis-Stober, McCarty and McCarthy (2019), suggested that alcohol affects numerous
portions of the brain but generally contracts brain tissues and depresses the central nervous
system. Excessive drinking over a prolonged period of time can cause serious problems with
cognition and memory. Consequently, the adolescents who consume excessive alcohol, tend
to have low social inhibition and emotional regulation that resulted in the violent behaviour.
As discussed by Stockings et al. (2016) Youth violence takes various form that resulted in
serious social damaged. Dangerous and excessive alcohol consumption by young Australians
can reduce self-control and the ability to process incoming information. On the other hand,
lack of assess of the risks, and increase emotional ability and impulsivity are common
instances of excessive alcohol consumption that make certain drinkers more likely to resort
to violence in confrontation. The common violent behaviour include drinking and driving,
physical violence, sexual assault, alcohol-involved crime. On the other hand, significant
number of young Australian involve in violent behaviour such as intentionally inflicts, or
attempts to inflict and physical harm due to excessive consumption of alcohol and associated
overdose (Brown & Murphy, 2018). The violent behaviour is on high alert because the
violent behaviour such as drinking and driving, bullying individuals, verbal abuse impacted

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more than million young Australians. In this regard, the study findings of Australian
Institute of Criminology (2019), can be mentioned and it can be stated that the violent
behaviour with the family affects the overall wellbeing of the young Australian and social
relationships. According to the study of Laursen et al. (2016), it is stated that consumption of
alcohol among the Australian population is associated with the increased amount of criminal
behaviour among them. From the study of Jiang et al. (2019) it is stated that in the year of
2018, the heaviest 20 per cent of the young Australian drinkers consumed more than 80 per
cent alcohol and most of them admitted that the main reason of consuming such amount of
alcohol is associated with the low price of the alcohol, peer pressure and the study also
identified that most of heavy drinkers consumed low priced alcohol. Due to this policy, a 4 L
wine cask can be sold at $13 (sales tax was $3.77 in 2018) (Jiang et al., 2019). Consequently,
1,825 college students of ages of 18 to 24 years died from alcohol-related unintentional
injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes when they were involving in violent behaviour after
consuming excessive alcohol and overdose of alcohol. Young individuals tend to involve in
sexual abuse, frequent fights with peers, carry a weapon after consuming alcohol since
excessive alcohol consumptions reduce their social inhibition. The prime reason behind this
violent behaviour is that poorly managed drinking venue can contributed to high level of
violent behaviours amongst the young Australian after alcohol consumption (Australian
health, 2018)..
In the year of 2017 almost 70,000 young Australian in the country were victims of
alcohol related violent behaviours. In 2017, most of the offenses informed by sufferers were
connected to alcohols which display that due to consumption of excessive alcohol in
Australia the cases of domestic violence enhanced and along with this the cases of sexual
crimes also had increased. Furthermore, 65 per cent of minor assaults occurred in Australia
due to alcohol consumption by the Australian people (Australian health, 2018).

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In Australia, alcohol-related violent behaviours enhanced by 11.6 per cent in the year
of 2017 as related to 2010 (Australian health, 2018). Therefore, it can be stated that it is not at
all a respectable indicator as growing crime due to the excessive consumption of alcohol also
has influence on the social status of the country as well as the legal status of Australia.
Policy Change
In order to change the existing policy regarding the exiting policy related to the lower
price of alcohol a few recommendations can be made in order to change the existing policy as
it will help to improve the condition of alcohol related harms in the society of the country. As
a part of the recommendations it can be stated that the minimum age range for getting alcohol
for the youths should be enhanced so that the overall rate of alcohol consumption among the
youths can be reduced to some extent. In this context the study result of the Rowland et al.
(2014), it can be mentioned as the researchers found that enhancing the minimum age group
for alcohol consumption has reduced the cases of alcohol consumption among the youths.
Hence, to reduce the reckless behaviour of the adolescent’s proposed policy change will be
the amendment of pricing policy along with restriction of the selling alcohol.
On the other hand, the lower pricy policy must be changed as it directly promotes the
high rate of alcohol consumption. The Preventing violence by reducing the availability and
harmful use of alcohol strategy of world health organization suggested that raising alcohol
prices can lower consumption and, hence, reduce violence. The strategy suggested that
Alcohol prices can be raised by increasing taxes, state controlled monopolies and availability
of cheaper prices. While a range of literature suggested that impact on violence of increases
in alcohol prices are rare, economic modelling strongly recommended that policy amendment
by incorporating alcohol price hikes can be effective in reducing the violent behavior of the
young adolescents (Www.who.int., 2020). In this case, the governing bodies and

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policymakers must establish a domestic taxation section for alcohol accompanied by an
effective enforcement system. . Therefore, the pricing of the alcohol can be changed. In this
regard, the recommendations done by the study of Jiang et al. (2019) can be mentioned. It can
be stated that the excise rate should be enhanced by 10 per cent for all the off-premise
beverages. Furthermore, apart from this pricing strategy, in order to implement such taxes,
research regarding the existential consumer market, economic operators, how tax pricing
going to influence alcohol consumption are required to conduct (Chaloupka, Powell &
Warner, 2019). The tax and increase in price for different beverages may be impacted
differently. Along with this, a uniform excise rate must be applied to all the beverages equal
to the current excise tax rate applicable to spirits and RTDs in the country. Moreover, an
equal and uniform taxation should be applied to all the brews equal to a 10% upsurge in the
present excise rate of tax relevant to spirits and RTDs in Australia. Moreover, a minimum
unit pricing policy should also be introduced to the overall pricing policy of alcohol pricing
in the country. In this regard, it can be stated the government must introduce a floor price on
all beverage categories at $1.00 per ASD (Jiang et al., 2019). The enhancement in the price of
the alcohol products will reduce the accessibility of the alcohol products to all the people and
thereby the cases of alcohol harm will may reduce in the country. The consumption of
distilled spirits is more responsible for price increase compared to beers. In this case, heavy
taxation must be imposed on the other distilled liquors apart from beer. It will reduce illegal
alcohol production, distribution, and consumption.
The policy change must incorporate guidelines for the adequate amount one
wholesaler and retailer can sale. Giesbrecht et al. (2017), argued that the license of retailer
and wholesaler must be altered with new proposed alcohol price and taxation. Stockings et al.
(2016), suggested that an increase in price of alcohol and domestic tax will compel the
wholesaler and retailer to sell the alcohol with heavy price which indirectly excessive

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consumption of alcohol amongst adolescents and associated reckless behaviours. Gilmore et
al. (2016), argued that a minimum increase in alcohol price led to 4.4% reduction of
consumption which will reduce social harm. The policy must incorporate banns regarding
discounts on the huge amount of alcohol rather increase the price of the alcohol. The majority
of adolescents buy alcohol due to the heavy amount of discount or cheap price they receive
from local shops and restaurants. In this case, Esser and Jernigan (2018), argued that banning
discounts on alcohol and increasing price simultaneously can be effective in reducing harm.
The policy amendment for increasing price of alcohol must be incorporated on the places and
areas where alcohol are heavily sold in low price which will in turn reduce the availability of
alcohol to the young Australian and the policy must focus on the reduction of frequent happy
hours in the restaurants and heavy penalty should be imposed on the restaurants or pubs who
will offer frequent happy hours with cheap prices of alcohol.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that the issue of low price of alcohol in Australia is one
of the crucial issues for the people of Australia as various researchers stated about the
excessive consumption of alcohol among the people. Therefore, it has become a crucial issue
for the country as it is affecting the lower socio economic people of the country. Therefore, it
is very important to address this issue in a serious manner. Not only this, but the excessive
consumption of alcohol affects numerous portions of the brain but generally contracts brain
tissues and depresses the central nervous system. Excessive drinking over a prolonged period
of time can cause serious problems with cognition and memory. The existing policy related to
the lower price of alcohol a few recommendations can be made in order to change the
existing policy as it will help to improve the condition of alcohol related harms in the society
of the country.

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