Public Drinking Strategy 2008-2011Georgie Hill
Coordinator, Safer Communities and Health Promotion
Tuesday 3 March, 2009
Overview
• Defining Public Drinking
• History and context
• Research: people drinking in public
• Strategy framework and actions
• Public consultation
• Where to now
• Challenges, learnings and complexities
Defining Public Drinking
The consumption of alcohol in a public area:• Leads to tension between the people drinking
and other stakeholders over the shared utilisation of space
• Leads to significant public perception of reduced safety
• Has a negative impact upon amenity in that location
• Is occurring in a designated alcohol restriction zone.
History and context
• Long history of public drinking in Footscray
• Trial local law introduced in 2003• Evaluation recognised limited impact• Local law expanded in 2005• Environmental modifications – ie
relocation of public seating• Highly politicised issue
Burnet Institute Research
Aims• understanding of the people engaged in
public drinking• daily lives and culture of people who
drink in public• public drinkers’ experiences of public
drinking regulations• public drinkers’ perceptions of service
and amenity needs
Burnet Institute Research
Methodology• Observations to contextualise the
setting• 30 on street in depth structured
interviews with people engaged in public drinking
• Participants paid with $30 coles vouchers
• August – September 2007
Burnet Institute Research
Key Findings• 3 main locations – Railway Reserve,
Nicholson Street, Nicholson Street Mall• 3 main social sets:
– Nicholson Street between Paisley and Irving (predominately older southern European background)
– Railway Reserve (park drinkers)– Primary heroin users – moved around
Footscray CBD
Burnet Institute Research
Key Findings
Across the three groups, the majority of the sample:• Was male• Born in Australia• Self-identified as having Australian ethnicity• Lived in Footscray or its immediate
surrounds (60% resided in Footscray/West Footscray)
• 20% homeless & 27% lived in 4 or more places in last 12 months
Burnet Institute Research
Key Findings
• 90% on benefits or pensions
• Most common reason for coming to Footscray is social interaction
• Alcohol related violence was usually intra- group
• 76.6% knew about the local law
What happened next…
• Council moved a motion to refer issue to Safety Taskforce and Drug Reference Group
• Held meeting with service providers • Joint meeting of MST and DRG chaired
by the Mayor• Internal consultation with key staff• Preliminary results to Council in April
Public Policy Tensions
• Acceptable public drinking vs unacceptable public drinking
• Liberalisation of liquor laws vs control of public spaces
• Beautification of space vs social exclusion• Personal values vs organisational values
Public Drinking Strategy Framework
• Advocacy, Partnerships and Collaboration
• Local Image and Community Safety• Community Information• Positive Opportunities and Primary
Prevention• Alcohol Related Harm in Public Places• Access to Services
Advocacy, Partnership, Collaboration
• Monitor trends
• Advocate for resources
• Ensure clear communication pathways with stakeholders
• Advocate to consumer affairs victoria re educational material provided to packaged liquor outlets
Local Image and Community Safety
• Promoting positive images of Footscray• Enforce local law• Write to Police Chief Commissioner re
Police resources• Investigate other models ie CCTV, Safe
Shop, community ambassador• Training for traders• Public mediation session
Community Information
• Communication methods for health and treatment options to public drinkers
• Promote information on how to respond to anti-social beahviour
• Promotion of strategies
• Promote local law restriction zone
Positive Opportunities and Primary Prevention
• Employment and training opportunities
• Integration with affordable housing strategy
• Promote community grants program
• Investigate affordable alternative recreation opportunities
Alcohol Related Harm in Public Places
• Liquor licence forum – engagement of packaged liquor outlets
• Install drinking fountain in Railway Reserve
• Responsible service of alcohol training
• Guidelines on number of type of licensed venues in Footscray
Access to Services
• Enhance service system through review of capacity, improved coordination and source funding
• Improve access to emergency food relief
• Investigate the application of social health models ie wet centres
Public Consultation
• Written survey distributed to traders• In depth interviews with 11 members of FTA• Community discussion group• On the street interviews with community• Community surveys – website & community
information points• Service providers and other organisations• Trader forum organised by local MP and Police
Questions – public consultation• I feel safe around public drinkers in the
Footscray CBD• Anti-social behaviour is of greater concern than
the act of drinking itself• It is important to minimise the harm that public
drinking causes to drinkers• Public drinking is a health problem that requires
a response from health and social services• Public drinking is a criminal issue and needs
firm policing• People drinking in public areas have human
rights that need to be protected
Public Consultation – Results• Proposed actions were generally supported• Anti-social behaviour associated with public
drinking and drug use is significant concern• Perceptions of safety are low (68% of traders
do not feel safe in Footscray)• Heightened awareness about public drinking
– contributing to poor image of Footscray• Traders and residents find it difficult to
distinguish between drugs or alcohol as being the cause of bad or anti social behaviour observed in the Footscray CBD
• Understanding of the complexity
Where we are up to…• Plan adopted in August 2008• Perceptions of Safety Project with Andrea Cook• Linking social issues to Transit Cities• Ongoing advocacy to Police– blitz in January • A series of public events and activities in Footscray • ‘Night Life Project’ - a long term installation of laser
lights above Nicholson Street Mall• Re-established the Liquor Licensing Forum• Social impact assessment as part of Footscray Renewal• Developing a Footscray Marketing Strategy and
Footscray Retail Strategy
Challenges, Learnings and Complexities
• There is no one “quick fix” solution• Local governments govern for all – minority and
majority• Personal values sometimes outweigh evidence• Polarised views and opinions across Council
and the community• Approach needs to be commensurate, flexible
and responsive to the changing nature intensity of public drinking and profile of public drinkers
Georgie HillCoordinatorSafer Communities and Health PromotionPH 9688 0140